If you’ve been wrapped up in World Cup fever, you may have forgotten another, humbler event on the 2026 sports calendar: the Commonwealth Games.

The Australian team are gearing up for medals galore when it kicks off this week in the UK. This handy guide contains everything you need to know about the competition that may not stop the world or make up for the post-football blues, but does offer Australia a better chance at glory. All times are AEST.

When do the 2026 Commonwealth Games start and where are they held?

The Commonwealth Games are taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, after the city stepped in for the Australian state of Victoria. The opening ceremony is at 5am on Friday 24 July at the Hydro, an indoor arena, with the bowls and para bowls competition starting earlier that day. The Games will run until 2 August.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will be among those attending the opening ceremony, along with the Glasgow 2026 mascot, Finnie, a sparkling unicorn that is a homage to Scotland’s national animal.

More than 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories are battling it out for 215 medals. If you’re in Glasgow, tickets are still available across the four venues. It’s the second time the city has hosted the games in its 23 iterations, and the fourth time in Scotland, but it will be a pared back edition this year after Australia pulled out three years ago.

Why isn’t Victoria hosting the Commonwealth Games?

Victoria abruptly withdrew from hosting this event in mid-2023, citing concerns over a cost blowout which rose from $2.6bn to as much as $7bn. Then premier Daniel Andrews said he was “simply not going to invest that sort of money … in order to deliver a 12-day sporting event”, in an announcement labelled by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) at the time as “hugely disappointing”.

It was the latest sorry chapter for the event as it struggles for hosts – and relevance. The following year, the Scottish government agreed to a rescue deal for a scaled-down version of the Games after Australian authorities offered a “multimillion-pound commitment” to save the event. The CGF offered Scotland almost $200m from the Victorian government’s $380m compensation owed for pulling out of hosting the event.

Rather than a traditional athletes village, participants in 2026 will stay in pre-existing accommodation. Venues for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the city will be re-used: athletics at Scotstoun stadium, swimming at Tollcross international swimming centre, track cycling at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome and indoor sports at the Scottish Events campus.

How can I watch and follow the Commonwealth Games from Australia?

The Commonwealth Games will be free to watch on Seven and 7mate, and streamed on 7plus.

The Guardian has reporters on the ground in Glasgow who will bring you news, features and analysis every day, plus daily live coverage on our blog from 7pm each evening.

What sports are on the schedule in Glasgow?

Originally, 22 sports were planned for the 2026 edition, but 12 were shunted to streamline the relocated event.

Instead, there will be 10 sports and six para sports across the 11-day competition: athletics and para athletics; swimming and para swimming, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball, artistic gymnastics; bowls and para bowls; boxing, judo, netball, para powerlifting; track cycling and para track cycling; and weightlifting.

Rugby sevens, hockey and cricket were the highest-profile sports to be axed, along with badminton, beach volleyball, diving, non-track cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, squash and table tennis.

What are Australia’s medal chances and what athletes should I look out for?

Australia stands as the most successful nation in the history of the Commonwealth Games, and will be hoping to experience similar success this year despite fewer events.

Swimming, which starts 24 July, remains a strong event for Australia though medal chances have been blighted by the late withdrawal of Kaylee McKeown due to a bout of glandular fever, as well as the revelation that Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan is carrying spinal fractures. O’Callaghan is entered in three individual events in Glasgow – the 100m and 200m freestyle, and 50m backstroke – and several relays, but has hinted her schedule could change.

Seven-time gold medallist Kyle Chalmers will be defending his title in the 100m freestyle, while Sam Short is a favourite to be on the podium in at least one of the 400m, 800m and 1500m events.

In athletics, which starts 27 July, keep an eye out for Nina Kennedy and Kurtis Marschall in pole vault, who are looking to defend their 2022 titles in Birmingham, and 25-year-old Eddie Nketia who will make his Australian debut in the 100m heats on 27 July, with the finals to follow on 28 July.

Australian men’s 1500m record-holder Cameron Myers is hoping to make history with the return of the mile distance after a 60-year absence at the games. Both men’s and women’s events will be hotly contested, with Scotland’s Josh Kerr recently breaking the world record and Australia’s Jess Hull in form after winning the 3000m at the London Diamond League. The mile finals are scheduled for 1 August.

Australia are the team to beat in netball, but England, New Zealand and Jamaica will do their best to change the status quo. The netball final is at 10pm on 2 August. There may be tension in the air at the velodrome in track cycling if Australia come up against English defector Matthew Richardson in the men’s sprint; the semi-finals and final in that event are on 2 August.

How did Australia fare at the last Commonwealth Games?

Birmingham’s event in 2022 was described as Australia’s “golden Games”, with the nation ending the tournament with 67 gold medals, 11 ahead of second-placed England and well ahead of third-placed Canada. Overall, Australia claimed 178 medals, two ahead of England.

Australia has topped the table in every Commonwealth Games since 1990 – bar Glasgow in 2014 – so we’ll see if Scotland is a bad luck charm for the Aussies. History is still on Australia’s side, though, having won 1,001 medals since the first games in 1930 – more than any other nation.