Rivalries, Atmosphere and the Spirit of Glasgow 2026
by James Dixon
The Commonwealth Games have long been known as ‘the Friendly Games’, and that appellation is nowhere more apt than in Glasgow, one of the most welcoming cities in the world – we were voted the UK’s friendliest city by Condé Nast Traveller in 2024 and 2025 and have previously topped Time Out’s list of friendliest cities in the world. The Glasgow 2014 Games were memorable for noisy crowds, volunteers laughing in the rain with tourists, packed venues, and a real sense that the city had properly embraced the event, and there is every reason to assume that this same atmosphere is set to return as Glasgow prepares to welcome the Commonwealth and the very best of her athletes once again in 2026.
The Human Face of Sport
This whole vibe is part of what makes the Commonwealth Games unique in sporting circles. Rivalries exist, of course, and competition is fierce, but none of it ever feels poisonous. The Olympics can often seem distant and overwhelming – it’s almost too much of a pageant, too much pressure, too much expectation. The World Cup and tournaments like it can descend into outright hostility. The Commonwealth Games are different – the event occupies a completely different emotional space. The mood tends to be warmer, more intimate, more human… friendly, indeed. The atmosphere tends to be good-natured even at its loudest at the Commonwealth Games.
Friendly and Fair
The Games have been bringing nations together to celebrate sport with pomp, ceremony, and a great deal of fun, since they were first held as The British Empire Games in 1930 (with early iterations going back all the way to 1911). Held every four years (though with a hiatus during the Second World War) the Games have evolved and grown a great deal since those early days – they have gone from eleven competing countries fielding around 400 athletes, to an absolute spectacle of over 4,000 athletes taking part from over seventy nations and territories. They have been underpinned throughout at least their more modern history by the core values of humanity, equality, and destiny: the Friendly Games stand to bring the Commonwealth family together through a vibrant celebration of sport, and the event has long been celebrated for encouraging athletes to compete in a spirit of friendship and fair play.
None of this means that rivalries lack intensity. Meetings with England will always carry extra emotional charge for plenty of Scottish supporters. There is plenty of history there; we’ve been honing that rivalry for centuries. The Games have also produced some of sport’s most enduring rivalries and stand-out moments. At the 1954 Games in Vancouver, Roger Bannister and John Landy contested the legendary ‘Miracle Mile’, the first race in which two men broke the four-minute barrier. In 2002, Chantal Petitclerc became the first para-sport athlete to win Commonwealth gold, taking it in the women’s 800m wheelchair final, after disability sport was formally included in the programme. Then, at Glasgow 2014, Nicola Adams defeated Michaela Walsh of Northern Ireland and claimed the first women’s flyweight boxing gold medal in Commonwealth history.
Iconic Athletes
Across generations, then, the Friendly Games’ distinctive spirit has continually pushed athletes to new heights.
Few Scottish athletes personify this better than Duncan Scott. He’s one of Britain’s most successful swimmers (with eight medals from three Olympic Games – two golds and six silvers over four disciplines) and one of Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth athletes. He will go into Glasgow 2026 as one of the most recognisable faces of Team Scotland. Every event in which he takes part will likely generate a good buzz, especially when English or Aussie swimmers are in the next lane. The same is true of cyclist Katie Archibald, whose experience and success have placed her front and centre as one of Scotland’s star sporting figures in recent years. She’s gone hard against Australia and England in the past, building up the sort of respectful rivalries we always want to see in the Commonwealth Games.
The return of the Commonwealth Mile for the first time since 1966 is likely to give us plenty of spectacle. It replaces the traditional 1,500m and revived one of athletics’ most iconic distances. The event carries enormous historical weight in Britain, from Roger Bannister becoming the first man to break the four-minute barrier in 1954 to the famous rivalry between Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Jake Wightman, who is set to compete in the event, has welcomed the decision. ‘Of all the major championships, none has the mile,’ he said. ‘If the Commonwealths standalone having it, that’s something that will maintain its legacy a bit longer.’
Scottish Hopes
Jake Wightman, Neil Gourley, and Megan Keith carry Scottish hopes into this historically steeped race, and they can expect good-natured yet fierce competition from England, Australia, and Kenya. At the moment, only Scotland and Australia have clearly confirmed athletes for the men’s, with Australia fielding Cameron Myers. Keith will be up against English runner, reigning world indoor 1500m champion, and Olympic medallist Georgia Bell in the women’s mile, who has her eyes set squarely on first place.
Megan Keith will be one of the more exciting ones to watch as she makes her Commonwealth Games debut in the 10,000m. East African excellence has tended to dominate the event, and fierce Commonwealth rivalries are not unknown. Kenya will likely set the standard, potentially led by figures like Beatrice Chebet, so Keith will have plenty to push herself against.
Going for Aussie Gold
Australia will likely give us the benchmark for excellence across lots of the Games, meaning plenty of eyes watching whomever they field and the likely champions fielded against them. They were one of the first nations that participated in one of the Games’ earliest iterations (The Inter-Empire Championship in 1911) and have taken part in it in all its forms ever since. And, in that time, it has garnered a reputation for being the most successful participating nation, winning over 200 more medals than its nearest rival.
Established Aussie names like middle-distance runner Peter Bol (who won Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham in 2022 and became widely known for his performances at the Tokyo Olympics) and pole vault champion Nina Kennedy (who also won gold in Birmingham in 2022, as well as at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest) will make for a great show and will be the ones rival countries are watching like hawks.
It’s a clash of personalities, which is exactly as it should be. The Commonwealth Games endure because they still feel personal in a sporting age that can often feel distant and over-commercialised. The rivalries matter precisely because they are passionate without becoming bitter. Scottish crowds will roar for Team Scotland, certainly, but they will also applaud brilliance wherever it comes from. That has always been part of the Games’ strange and enduring charm. Glasgow, a city built on humour, conversation, and noise, is uniquely suited to that spirit.
The Commonwealth Games
23rd July – 2nd August
