Glasgow 2026 opens at a third of 2014 cost in stripped-down Commonwealth Games experiment

Glasgow opens the 2026 Commonwealth Games on 23 July with a £150 million budget — less than a third of the £550 million it spent in 2014. Ten sports, four venues, around 500,000 tickets: a deliberate test of whether a leaner model can keep the event alive. Victoria's A$589 million withdrawal and $380 million compensation payment helped fund it.