Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games begin today on Seven and 7plus Sport – The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games begin today, Friday, 24 July, with Australian viewers able to watch live, free and exclusive coverage across Seven, 7mate and 7plus Sport.
The Games bring together more than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations for a streamlined 10-sport program running through to Monday, 3 August Australian time.
For Australian audiences, today is the moment Seven’s Commonwealth Games coverage moves from build-up to live event. It also gives 7plus Sport one of its biggest tests yet, with every sport available to stream and multiple live and replay channels across the Games.
How to watch in Australia
Seven’s coverage begins with the Opening Ceremony from 4.45am AEST on Friday, 24 July. Competition then continues across Seven, 7mate and 7plus Sport through to the Closing Ceremony, which airs from 4.45am AEST on Monday, 3 August.
The main broadcast will run across Seven and 7mate, while 7plus Sport will carry every sport live and free.
On 7plus Sport, viewers can access up to 15 live channels, eight FAST replay channels, full event replays, minis, highlights, interviews, a medal tally and sport pages for favourite events.
Glasgow is nine hours behind AEST, so many of the major finals and medal sessions will fall across Australian evenings, late nights and early mornings.
What sports are at Glasgow 2026?
Glasgow 2026 has a smaller program than recent Commonwealth Games, but it still includes several of Australia’s strongest Commonwealth sports.
- Athletics and Para athletics
- Swimming and Para swimming
- Track cycling and Para track cycling
- Netball
- Boxing
- Judo
- Bowls and Para bowls
- Weightlifting and Para powerlifting
- Artistic gymnastics
- 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball
Seven says more than 200 gold medals will be decided across the Games. The swimming program includes 56 medal events, while track cycling has 26 medal events.
Australian stories to watch
Australia enters Glasgow with a long and successful Commonwealth Games history. Bruce McAvaney has noted that Australia is one of only six nations to have competed at every Games and remains the most successful country in the event’s history.
In the pool, Lakeisha Patterson becomes the first Australian female swimmer to compete at four Commonwealth Games. Mollie O’Callaghan and Kyle Chalmers also arrive with the chance to add to their place in Games history.
The athletics program brings back the Commonwealth Mile, replacing the 1500m for the first time in 60 years. Olli Hoare and Cam Myers are among the Australian names to watch in the event.
Other major Australian medal hopes include Jess Hull in the women’s mile and 5000m, Matt Denny in discus, Nina Kennedy in pole vault, Peter Bol in the 800m and Kurtis Marschall in pole vault.
In track cycling, Seven has highlighted the sprint rivalry involving Leigh Hoffman and Matthew Richardson, who now represents England after previously winning Birmingham 2022 team sprint gold for Australia.
Seven’s broadcast team
Seven’s coverage will be led by Matt Shirvington, Emma Freedman, Mel McLaughlin, Jason Richardson, Johanna Griggs, Matt White, Rebecca Maddern, Trent Copeland and Lizzie Jelfs.
McAvaney leads the athletics coverage from Scotstoun Stadium with Tamsyn Manou, Jason Richardson and David Culbert.
Ariarne Titmus joins Seven as pool deck reporter, with Giaan Rooney, Annabelle Williams and Alister Nicholson across the swimming coverage.
Catherine Cox and Kim Green will call netball as the Australian Diamonds defend their Birmingham 2022 gold medal. Kate Bates and Scott McGrory lead track cycling, while Clive Adams and Lynsey Clarke cover bowls and Para bowls.
Daily broadcast windows
Seven’s prime-time coverage is scheduled from 7.00pm to 11.30pm AEST, led by Matt Shirvington and Emma Freedman.
Mel McLaughlin and Jason Richardson will join viewers from Glasgow late at night, while Lizzie Jelfs and Trent Copeland cover the overnight window from 11.30pm to 3.30am AEST.
Johanna Griggs and Matt White will present early morning coverage from 3.30am to 7.30am AEST, with Rebecca Maddern hosting daily afternoon highlights.
Sunrise and Weekend Sunrise will also carry Games coverage, while 7NEWS will follow the major Australian stories each night.
Key moments across the Games
- Friday, 24 July: Opening Ceremony and the opening night of swimming, gymnastics and Para powerlifting.
- Saturday, 25 July: Mollie O’Callaghan in the 200m freestyle final, Georgia Godwin in gymnastics, and the Diamonds against Tonga.
- Sunday, 26 July: Cam McEvoy in the 50m freestyle final and the Diamonds against England.
- Monday, 27 July: Athletics begins, Kyle Chalmers starts his pool campaign and artistic gymnastics offers five gold medals.
- Tuesday, 28 July: Sprint night in athletics, Chalmers in the 100m freestyle, and Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson in high jump.
- Wednesday, 29 July: Cam Myers in the men’s mile, Lakeisha Patterson in the pool, and McEvoy and Chalmers in the 50m butterfly final.
- Thursday, 30 July: Track cycling begins, with netball, bowls and weightlifting also in action.
- Friday, 31 July: Nina Kennedy in the women’s pole vault and a major track cycling medal night.
- Saturday, 1 August: Peter Bol, Cam Myers and Kurtis Marschall headline a big athletics session, alongside netball semi-finals.
- Sunday, 2 August: Final competition day, including track cycling, judo, bowls finals and the netball medal matches.
Why Glasgow 2026 matters
Glasgow 2026 is a smaller and more compact Commonwealth Games after Victoria withdrew as host. Glasgow stepped in with a model based around existing venues and a reduced sports program.
That makes this edition important beyond the medal table. It is a test of what a more sustainable Commonwealth Games can look like, while still giving athletes from across the Commonwealth a major international stage.
For Seven, the Games also sit inside a major year of sport across broadcast and streaming. The combination of live television, 7plus Sport channels, replays, minis and highlights is central to how Australian viewers will follow the event.
For the deeper TV Central preview, read our full guide to Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Seven and 7plus Sport. For more coverage, visit TV Central’s Commonwealth Games section. Watch the Games through the official 7plus Commonwealth Games hub.
