The 2026 sporting calendar in Scotland
In 2026, Scotland hosts a major global sporting festival, the Commonwealth Games, part of a rich array of sports events both large and small across the country, as Donald Reid discovers
Scotland will be front and centre on the global sporting stage this summer, either by winning the men’s football World Cup in New York or, a tad more realistically, when Glasgow welcomes the 23rd Commonwealth Games for 11 days in late July and early August.
Having hosted the games in 2014, Glasgow retained both the facilities and the event-planning blueprint to be able to step in at the last minute when original 2026 hosts, the Australian state of Victoria, pulled out. A slimmed-down version of the games was drawn up, with ten sports and six para sports scheduled across four venues in the city between 23 July and 2 August. Scotstoun Stadium will stage the high-profile athletics events, swimming will happen at Tollcross International Swimming Centre, track cycling and artistic gymnastics at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome And Arena, with the SEC in Finnieston housing netball, weightlifting, 3 x 3 basketball, bowls, boxing and judo. In all, 215 gold medals are up for grabs with 3000 athletes from 74 nations and territories anticipated.
Innovations being introduced at the games include the Commonwealth Mile, reinstating the classic imperial distance in place of the 1500m as part of the athletics programme, and many high-profile international sports stars including Olympic medallists are expected to be in action in Glasgow. While no street events such as marathons or road cycling are in the schedule, if you’re wanting to catch some of the action and don’t manage of get hold of tickets, public fan zones in places such as Glasgow Green are likely to be the liveliest spots.
For all that the Commonwealth Games offer a feast of diverse sporting skills and dramatic action, multi-sport events are familiar enough in Scotland. Most weekends between May and September will see a Highland Games happening somewhere, each a significant date in the calendar of the local community. For what’s normally a very reasonable entry fee (some are even free), you can enjoy a day-long mix of amateur athletics, strong-man heaving and tossing events, traditional dancing, marching bagpipe bands, stalls and family-oriented activities. The games, as they’re invariably described locally, can be large affairs with temporary grandstands erected and marquees hosting sponsors hospitality, busy bars and craft fairs, while others incorporate agricultural shows and cherished local traditions. For handy listings of more than 50 Highland Games, head to rshga.org/calendar.
Elsewhere, there’s no shortage of top-level sporting action to be found right through 2026. Rugby’s Six Nations fixtures for men (February/March; Edinburgh) and women (April/May; Edinburgh) make for lively weekends in the nation’s capital, with further men’s internationals against the likes of New Zealand and Australia lined up for Murrayfield Stadium in November. The famous Melrose Sevens rugby tournament takes place in the heart of the Scottish Borders in May.
The big golf tournaments of the year are the men’s Scottish Open in East Lothian, the Women’s Scottish Open in Ayrshire, and the men’s Senior Open at Gleneagles, all taking place during July. Many of golf’s biggest stars also turn up for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews in October. The Scottish Grand National horseracing festival takes place in Ayr in April, with the same venue hosting the Ayr Gold Cup Festival in September. InternationalHorse Trials take place at Scone Palace near Perth in August.
A round of the British Superbike Championship roars into Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife in June, with the same venue hosting an event within the British Touring Car Championship in August. There’s also a National BMX Race Series at the Glasgow Life BMX Centre in Knightswood, Glasgow, and the Gralloch UCI Gravel World Series for gravel cycling in Galloway Forest Park, both in May.
Among numerous marathons and other extreme-distance running events, world-class mountain and trail runners gather for Skyline Scotland in Glencoe in September, while windsurfing’s Tiree Wave Classic, the longest running professional windsurfing event in the world, is scheduled for the Isle Of Tiree in October. Staying on the waves, the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race makes a stopover in Oban between 10 and 19 July. Just south of Oban, Easdale Island is the annual home of the World Stone Skimming Championships, scheduled for 5 September and, also in Oban this year, shinty’s Camanachd Cup Final takes place in September.
Finally, if you’re already planning ahead, keep in mind that on 2 July 2027 the Tour de France Grand Départ will set off from central Edinburgh before making its way south through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle.
This article is featured in The Guide To Scotland’s Festivals, our comprehensive guide to help you plan your cultural year. Find print editions of The Guide To Scotland’s Festivals at all good stockists across Scotland, or read it in full online.