Commonwealth Games 2030: India bids to host centenary edition. Here’s who they’re up against!

India will now compete with Canada, Nigeria, and two other unnamed countries for the opportunity to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games as announced by Commonwealth Sport (CWS) on Wednesday.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, CWS said that it had received 'Expression of Interests' (EOIs) from Canada and Nigeria, besides two more unnamed countries, to host the 2030 edition of the Games.

The last date to submit the 'Expression of Interest' to host the Games was March 31 and India's letter was sent by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

In all, seven countries have expressed interest in hosting future Commonwealth Games with five of those focused on staging the centenary edition. CWS also added that New Zealand are one of two nations that want to host the 2034 edition.

"Africa, Americas, Asia, and Oceania make up the regions from which the EOIs have been submitted. Canada, India, and Nigeria have already publicly confirmed that they have lodged an EOI for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with two additional nations also confirming their interest in 2030. Two EOIs are focused on the future Games pipeline, including New Zealand who have previously signalled their interest in hosting 2034," Commonwealth Sport said in a statement.

Commonwealth Sport CEO Katie Sadleir said the CWS is "thrilled with the incredible interest" in hosting the Games. "This positive response from four of our six regions underlines the importance and significance of the Commonwealth Games and its position as the major multi-sport event in the world sporting calendar alongside the Olympic Games and Paralympics and shows the strength and appeal of our reimagined Games model." 

The future of the Commonwealth Games had appeared uncertain in recent years, especially after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew from hosting the 2026 edition due to budget issues. Glasgow eventually stepped in to rescue the event, though it did so with significant changes to the games programme.

The initial estimate for hosting the Games in Victoria was 2.6 billion AUD. "We cannot understate the hugely significant role Scotland has played in this change, having the foresight, tenacity and innovative thinking to step forward and host the Games in Glasgow in 2026 within an incredibly tight timeframe, building on their legacy of Glasgow 2014," Sadleir said.

"Glasgow 2026 will be a bridge to the Games of tomorrow – an important first step in our journey to reimagine and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future of major events," she added.