Bids for the Commonwealth Games

Bids for the Commonwealth Games is the process where Commonwealth Games Associations select from within their national territory cities to put forward bids to host a Commonwealth Games. Since the creation of the Commonwealth Games Federation in 1932, which successfully appropriated the name of the Inter-Empire Championships to create a modern sporting event for the members of the Commonwealth, interested cities have rivalled for selection as host of the Commonwealth Games.

What follows is a list of the cities that have bid to host any of the Commonwealth Games. 20 cities (including repeats) have been chosen to host the Commonwealth Games; four in America, two in Asia, six in Europe, one in the Caribbean and seven in Oceania. No African city has ever been chosen to host a Commonwealth Games.

Process

The General Assembly of the CGF is responsible for deciding who will host the Commonwealth Games, 8 years prior to the games in question once all bids have been submitted. The selection process is made in accordance with the Candidate City Manual, as drafted by the Executive Board and made available to candidates 18 months before a decision is made. The federation then entrusts the organisation of the games to the organising committee, CGA, and government of the winning host nation or territory, including the security and finance, but is still monitored by the federation.^[1]

Commonwealth Games

Games	Year	Bid party		Result	Final selection process		Note	Ref.
Games	Year	City	CGAs	Result	Date	CGF General Assembly	Note	Ref.
I	1930	Hamilton	Canada	Awarded to host the I Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[2]
II	1934	~~Johannesburg~~	~~South Africa~~	Awarded to host the II Commonwealth Games (moved to London)			^{[note 1]}	^[3]
II	1934	London	England	Inherently awarded to host the II Commonwealth Games			^{[note 1]}
III	1938	Sydney	Australia	Awarded to host the III Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[4]
–	~~1942~~	~~Montreal~~	~~Canada~~	Awarded to host the IV Commonwealth Games (cancelled)			^{[note 2]}
–	~~1946~~	~~Cardiff~~	~~Wales~~	Awarded to host the IV Commonwealth Games (cancelled)			^{[note 3]}
IV	1950	Auckland	New Zealand	Awarded to host the IV Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[5]
V	1954	Vancouver	Canada	Awarded to host the V Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[6]
VI	1958	Cardiff	Wales	Awarded to host the VI Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[7]
VII	1962	Perth	Australia	Awarded to host the VII Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[8]
VIII	1966	Kingston	Jamaica	Awarded to host the VIII Commonwealth Games (17 votes)		Rome		^[9]
		Edinburgh	Scotland	Eliminated in the first voting (12 votes)
		Salisbury	Rhodesia and Nyasaland	Eliminated in the first voting (5 votes)
IX	1970	Edinburgh	Scotland	Awarded to host the IX Commonwealth Games (18 votes)		Kingston		^[10]
IX	1970	Christchurch	New Zealand	Eliminated in the first voting (11 votes)		Kingston		^[10]
X	1974	Christchurch	New Zealand	Awarded to host the X Commonwealth Games (36 votes)		Edinburgh		^[11]
X	1974	Melbourne	Australia	Eliminated in the first voting (2 votes)		Edinburgh		^[11]
XI	1978	Edmonton	Canada	Awarded to host the XI Commonwealth Games (36 votes)		Munich		^[12]
XI	1978	Leeds	England	Eliminated in the first voting (10 votes)		Munich		^[12]
XII	1982	Brisbane	Australia	Awarded to host the XII Commonwealth Games (unanimous vote)	14 July 1976	Montreal		^[13]
		Birmingham	England	Withdrew during the candidature stage
		Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	Withdrew during the candidature stage
		Lagos	Nigeria	Withdrew during the candidature stage
XIII	1986	Edinburgh	Scotland	Awarded to host the XIII Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[14]
XIV	1990	Auckland	New Zealand	Awarded to host the XIV Commonwealth Games (20 votes)		Los Angeles		^[15]
XIV	1990	Delhi	India	Eliminated in the first voting (19 votes)		Los Angeles		^[15]
XV	1994	Victoria	Canada	Awarded to host the XV Commonwealth Games (29 votes)		Seoul		^[16]
		Cardiff	Wales	Eliminated in the first voting (18 votes)
		Delhi	India	Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes)
XVI	1998	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	Awarded to host the XVI Commonwealth Games (40 votes)		Barcelona		^[17]
XVI	1998	Adelaide	Australia	Eliminated in the first voting (25 votes)		Barcelona		^[17]
XVII	2002	Manchester	England	Awarded to host the XVII Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[18]
XVIII	2006	Melbourne	Australia	Awarded to host the XVIII Commonwealth Games (sole bid)				^[19]
XIX	2010	Delhi	India	Awarded to host the XIX Commonwealth Games (46 votes)	14 November 2003	Montego Bay		^[20]^[21]
XIX	2010	Hamilton	Canada	Eliminated in the first voting (22 votes)	14 November 2003	Montego Bay		^[20]^[21]
XX	2014	Glasgow	Scotland	Awarded to host the XX Commonwealth Games (47 votes)	9 November 2007	Colombo		^[22]^[23]
		Abuja	Nigeria	Eliminated in the first voting (24 votes)
		Halifax	Canada	Withdrew during the candidature stage
XXI	2018	Gold Coast	Australia	Awarded to host the XXI Commonwealth Games (43 votes)	11 November 2011	Basseterre		^[24]^[25]
XXI	2018	Hambantota	Sri Lanka	Eliminated in the first voting (27 votes)	11 November 2011	Basseterre		^[24]^[25]
XXII	2022	~~Durban~~	~~South Africa~~	Awarded to host the XXII Commonwealth Games and later withdrew	2 September 2015	Auckland		^[26]^[27]
		Edmonton	Canada	Withdrew during the candidature stage	2 September 2015	Auckland		^[26]^[27]
		Birmingham	England	Awarded to host the XXII Commonwealth Games (sole bid)	21 December 2017	Birmingham		^[28]^[29]
XXIII	2026	~~Victoria~~	~~Australia~~	Awarded to host the XXIII Commonwealth Games and later withdrew	12 April 2022	Ballarat		^[30]^[31]
XXIII	2026	Glasgow	Scotland	Awarded to host the XXIII Commonwealth Games (sole bid)	17 September 2024
XXIV	2030	Abuja	Nigeria		November 2025	Glasgow		^[32]
XXIV	2030	Gujarat	India		November 2025	Glasgow		^[32]

Notes

^ The 1934 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) was originally awarded to Johannesburg, South Africa but was later awarded to London, England. The reason for this change was to avoid a political crisis over South Africa's Apartheid policy and its implications on visiting Commonwealth athletes and officials. The move came after concerns, particularly from Canada, about the way South Africa would treat black and Asian athletes."1934 - London". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
^ The 1942 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) was cancelled due to the Second World War. "What are the Commonwealth Games and who takes part?". BBC. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
^ The 1946 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) was cancelled due to the Second World War. "What are the Commonwealth Games and who takes part?". BBC. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

References

^ "Byelaw 12 Bid Procedures and the Host City" (PDF). Constitutional Documents of the Commonwealth Games Federation. CGF. p. 35. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Hamilton 1930 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "London 1934 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Sydney 1938 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Auckland 1950 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Vancouver 1954 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Cardiff 1958 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Perth 1962 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Kingston 1966 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Edinburgh 1970 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Christchurch 1974 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Edmonton 1978 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Brisbane 1982 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Edinburgh 1986 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Auckland 1990 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Victoria 1994 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Kuala Lumpur 1998 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Manchester 2002 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Melbourne 2006 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Delhi 2010 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Delhi wins vote". 2003-11-14. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
^ "Glasgow 2014 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ Wilson, Chris (2007-11-09). "Glasgow wins Games bid". mirror. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
^ "Gold Coast 2018 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ Candice Marshall (2011-11-10). "Gold Coast wins Commonwealth Games bid". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
^ "Commonwealth Games: Durban confirmed as 2022 host city". BBC Sport. 2015-09-02. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
^ "Commonwealth Games: Durban, South Africa will not host Games in 2022". BBC Sport. 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
^ "Birmingham 2022 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
^ "Commonwealth Games Federation selects Birmingham as Host City Partner of the 2022 Commonwealth Games | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
^ "CGF confirm Victoria, Australia as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
^ Mackay, Duncan (2023-07-18). "Victoria cancels hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
^ "Two cities – from India and Nigeria – meet deadline to bid for centennial Commonwealth Games in 2030". GamesBids.com. 1 September 2025.

[3] The 1934 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) was originally awarded to Johannesburg, South Africa but was later awarded to London, England. The reason for this change was to avoid a political crisis over South Africa's Apartheid policy and its implications on visiting Commonwealth athletes and officials. The move came after concerns, particularly from Canada, about the way South Africa would treat black and Asian athletes."1934 - London". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

[6] The 1942 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) was cancelled due to the Second World War. "What are the Commonwealth Games and who takes part?". BBC. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

[7] The 1946 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) was cancelled due to the Second World War. "What are the Commonwealth Games and who takes part?". BBC. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

[1] "Byelaw 12 Bid Procedures and the Host City" (PDF). Constitutional Documents of the Commonwealth Games Federation. CGF. p. 35. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[2] "Hamilton 1930 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[4] "London 1934 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[5] "Sydney 1938 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[8] "Auckland 1950 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[9] "Vancouver 1954 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[10] "Cardiff 1958 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[11] "Perth 1962 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[12] "Kingston 1966 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[13] "Edinburgh 1970 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[14] "Christchurch 1974 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[15] "Edmonton 1978 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[16] "Brisbane 1982 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[17] "Edinburgh 1986 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[18] "Auckland 1990 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[19] "Victoria 1994 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[20] "Kuala Lumpur 1998 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[21] "Manchester 2002 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[22] "Melbourne 2006 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[23] "Delhi 2010 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[24] "Delhi wins vote". 2003-11-14. Retrieved 2020-05-02.

[25] "Glasgow 2014 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[26] Wilson, Chris (2007-11-09). "Glasgow wins Games bid". mirror. Retrieved 2020-05-02.

[27] "Gold Coast 2018 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[28] Candice Marshall (2011-11-10). "Gold Coast wins Commonwealth Games bid". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2020-05-02.

[29] "Commonwealth Games: Durban confirmed as 2022 host city". BBC Sport. 2015-09-02. Retrieved 2020-05-02.

[30] "Commonwealth Games: Durban, South Africa will not host Games in 2022". BBC Sport. 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2020-05-02.

[31] "Birmingham 2022 | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[32] "Commonwealth Games Federation selects Birmingham as Host City Partner of the 2022 Commonwealth Games | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Retrieved 2022-05-18.

[33] "CGF confirm Victoria, Australia as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2022-05-18.

[34] Mackay, Duncan (2023-07-18). "Victoria cancels hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2023-07-19.

[35] "Two cities – from India and Nigeria – meet deadline to bid for centennial Commonwealth Games in 2030". GamesBids.com. 1 September 2025.

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v t e Bids for the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games	1930¹ 1934¹ 1938¹ 1950¹ 1954¹ 1958¹ 1962¹ 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986¹ 1990 1994 1998 2002¹ 2006² 2010 2014 2018 2022³ 2026³
Commonwealth Youth Games	2000¹ 2004¹ 2008 2011² 2015² 2017² 2021
1 – Host city chosen unilaterally; 2 – Only one bid submitted; 3 – Two bid process are held

v t e Commonwealth Games
CGF Bids CGAs Participating nations Commonwealth Day Inter-Empire Championships King's Baton Relay Medal table Sports Records Mascots Results Winter Games
Commonwealth Games	1930 Hamilton 1934 London 1938 Sydney 1950 Auckland 1954 Vancouver 1958 Cardiff 1962 Perth 1966 Kingston 1970 Edinburgh 1974 Christchurch 1978 Edmonton 1982 Brisbane 1986 Edinburgh 1990 Auckland 1994 Victoria 1998 Kuala Lumpur 2002 Manchester 2006 Melbourne 2010 Delhi 2014 Glasgow 2018 Gold Coast 2022 Birmingham 2026 Glasgow 2030 TBA
Commonwealth Youth Games	2000 Edinburgh 2004 Bendigo 2008 Pune 2011 Isle of Man 2015 Apia 2017 Nassau 2023 Trinidad and Tobago 2027 Malta
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