Golf to join the Commonwealth Games in 2026

Golf will make its Commonwealth Games debut in Australia in 2026.

Golf will make its debut in the Commonwealth Games when the quadrennial event takes place in Australia in 2026.

The sport will be part of the showpiece event for the first time in Victoria with men and women competing, while organisers are also exploring the possibility of adding a para-golf competition. They will work with a host of golf organisations and the Commonwealth Games Federation to deem whether it is viable.

No venue, format or qualifying process has been announced for the golf event, but the area is home to some of the world’s best golf courses, including Royal Melbourne (below), Kingston Heath, Victoria, and Peninsula Kingswood.

“This is a great win for golf,” said Golf Australia chief James Sutherland. “This announcement validates golf’s increasing popularity and the enormous growth that the sport has enjoyed over the last three years.”

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Unlike the Olympic Games, which golf has been part of the last two events in Rio (below) and Tokyo, British competitors in the Commonwealth Games represent their own nation rather than Team GB.

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all participate in the games, meaning we could see the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Georgia Hall, Tyrrell Hatton, Charley Hull, Amy Boulden, Bob MacIntyre, Louise Duncan, and Rory McIlroy bidding for medals in Australia. The Republic of Ireland won’t be represented having left the Commonwealth in 1949.

72 nations took part in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosted by Birmingham, including Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zambia.

“This is a terrific result for our sport. It’s going to provide playing opportunities for our young stars from around the Commonwealth,” Gavin Kirkman, the chief executive of the PGA of Australia, said.

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“We absolutely love golf in the Olympic Games and we’re sure that the sport being in the Commonwealth Games will be important for golf going forward as well. It’s a big stage, the Commonwealth Games, and we’re privileged to be finally on it.”

Golf isn’t the only sport to be added to the 2026 schedule, with coastal rowing and BMX riding also on the list. Shooting will also return after it was dropped from the 2022 Games, but judo and wrestling have been removed from the programme.

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