Can India host Commonwealth Games 2026 after Australia's withdrawal?

Australian State Victoria announced on July 18 that it is withdrawing its hosting rights.

After Victoria pulled out of hosting the Commonwealth Games 2026 there has been question marks as to which country will come forward to host the next edition, which is just 950 plus odd days away. A report from TOI states, Gujarat's Ahmedabad city is likely to bid to host the multi-sport event.

The Gujarat government sources said that the city have been preparing to bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games and have been setting itself up for the infrastructure. The state had earlier set its target to complete the work by 2028. However, sources added that the work will be completed before the 2026 games. The city is, therefore, considering bidding to host for the 2026.

Can India host Commonwealth Games 2026?

The last time India hosted a mega event was way back in 2010 in New Delhi. The IOA in 2019 also had plans to bid for the 2026 and 2030 editions of Commonwealth Games which didn't materialize further. Now with Victoria pulling out Ahmedabad has a good chance of hosting the event and showcasing their mettle. For the past few years there have been talks of India bidding for the 2036 Olympics with Ahmedabad as the hosts.

The Sardar Patel sports enclave has several sports facilities available for a multi-sporting event to be held. The complex includes world's largest cricket stadium (in terms of seating capacity) - Narendra Modi stadium followed by 50,000 sitter athletics stadium with 400m standard track for track and field, 350,000-400,000 square feet indoor sports centre with flexible halls and support space for multiple sports, 15,000 seats field hockey stadium and many other indoor and outdoor sports including - badminton, volleyball, and table tennis.

If the IOA pushed hard for the bid then India has a good chance of hosting the event. Birmingham had five years time to get the facilities made ready when Durban pulled out from hosting the 2022 edition due to financial constraints. With India having close to three years it will be highly demanding to conduct the games at a short notice.