As Glasgow prepares to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, here's a look at the standout athletes expected to shine, including Duncan Scott and Eilish McColgan.
London, United Kingdom Jul 18, 2026 ALN: Around 3000 athletes, competing in ten different sports, will descend upon Glasgow for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. There will be Olympic, Paralympic, World, European and Commonwealth champions, as well as world record holders, competing over the ten days of sport at the Games, showcasing some truly world-class talent across the four venues.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest names from both a Scottish and international perspective to watch out for at Glasgow 2026.
The 29-year-old swimmer is Scotland’s most-decorated Olympian, one of Scotland’s greatest athletes, and already has 13 Commonwealth medals to his name. He spearheads Scotland’s swimming squad at Glasgow 2026 and is defending the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley titles he won four years ago at Birmingham 2022.
Despite his pedigree, gold medals are far from a given at Tollcross International Swimming Centre, but the University of Stirling athlete rarely fails to deliver on the biggest stages. Having identified this Commonwealth Games as his priority event this year, it’s a safe bet that he’ll add to his haul of 49 major championship medals.
When highlighting who to watch out for in the men’s mile event at Glasgow 2026, it’s impossible to split Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman. The pair are truly world-class middle-distance runners aiming to win gold for Team Scotland on home soil.
Both have world 1500m titles to their name and have had a solid winter of training, meaning they head into Glasgow 2026 fully fit. Wightman has the better Commonwealth Games pedigree with two bronze medals, while Kerr has yet to get his hands on Commonwealth silverware. All going to plan, this pair will be battling each other for gold in the home straight of the mile, shaping up to be one of the unmissable events of Glasgow 2026.
Few Scottish sports fans will have forgotten Eilish McColgan’s inspiring 10,000m gold medal-winning run at Birmingham 2022. The 35-year-old has become one of the country’s most-loved sportspeople, aided by that stirring Commonwealth Games victory four years ago.
Since then, she’s transitioned to the roads and up the distances to the marathon, becoming the Scottish record holder over 26.2 miles. However, she’s back on the track for Glasgow 2026 and will be defending her 10,000m title at Scotstoun Stadium. It will be no easy task given the strength of the Kenyan team, but McColgan is one of the sport’s grittiest athletes and will not give up her title easily.
The 39-year-old judoka knows exactly how it feels to win Commonwealth Games gold—after all, she’s done it twice before. Having triumphed in both 2014 and 2022, Adlington aims to do what no judo player has ever done before: win three Commonwealth Games gold medals.
The heavyweight has already stated that, whatever happens in Glasgow, this will be her final competitive appearance on a judo mat. A third gold medal would be the perfect send-off for one of Scotland’s longest-serving athletes.
Thanks to the recent retirements of Katie Archibald and Jack Carlin, Scotland’s cycling team is shorter on superstar names than it has been in the past, paving the way for one of the younger riders to make a real breakthrough into the public’s consciousness at Glasgow 2026. Former world junior champion, Erin Boothman, is the rider most are putting money on to do just that.
A successful debut senior season on the road bodes well for what she can achieve on the track this summer, and the signs are she has everything needed to become Scotland’s next cycling superstar.
Alex Marshall, or Tattie as he’s more commonly known, has been one of the world’s best lawn bowlers for nearly three decades, with Glasgow 2026 being the 59-year-old’s sixth Commonwealth Games. He has five Commonwealth Games gold medals to his name but is perhaps best recognized for his infamous “gesture” after beating the competition at Glasgow 2014.
Alongside his long-time bowling partner, Paul Foster, the pair will be aiming to continue Scotland’s impressive run of lawn bowls success at the Commonwealth Games.
When Max Whitlock won three gymnastic gold medals at Glasgow 2014, few would have predicted that 12 years later, the man would be back in the city aiming to add further to his impressive medal haul. Whitlock retired from gymnastics in 2024 but launched a comeback in late 2025, making this Commonwealth Games his first major competition since his return. The 33-year-old would be a popular medal-winner if he’s able to replicate his previous Commonwealth Games success in Glasgow.
Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown is one of the planet’s greatest female swimmers, illustrated by the five Olympic gold medals she has to her name. At Birmingham 2022, the 24-year-old backstroke and medley swimmer won six medals, including four gold, and she’s tipped to replicate that success in Glasgow.
Georgia Hunter-Bell has, in recent years, developed into one of the world’s very best middle-distance runners. She has picked up Olympic, World, and European silverware in recent seasons, with the one remaining gap being a Commonwealth Games medal. She’s out to rectify this at Glasgow 2026, and her 800m battle with reigning world 800m champion, Lilian Odira of Kenya, promises to be one of the races of the Games.
At Glasgow 2026, Australian Angie Ballard will become the first para-athlete ever to compete at five Commonwealth Games. Having been on the international stage for over two decades, the wheelchair racer has won multiple major championships medals at the Paralympics and World Championships. At the age of 44, she hopes to add to her single Commonwealth Games gold medal, which she won in Glasgow in 2014.
Sprinter Shericka Jackson is one of the biggest names slated to grace the track at Scotstoun Stadium for the athletics competition at Glasgow 2026. The 31-year-old has Olympic and World gold medals in her cabinet but, as yet, hasn’t won Commonwealth gold. She spearheads a strong Jamaican track and field squad in Glasgow.
As the Commonwealth Games approach, the excitement builds for these athletes and their potential to shine on the international stage.
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