After a turbulent few years of false starts and withdrawn host cities, the Commonwealth Games are finally heading back to where they last left such a brilliant impression: Glasgow. From 23 July to 2 August 2026, Scotland's largest city will once again host the world's best Commonwealth athletes, twelve years after the unforgettable 2014 Games. The original host, the Australian state of Victoria, pulled out in 2023 over spiralling costs, leaving the Commonwealth Games Federation searching for a replacement with very little time to spare. Glasgow stepped in, drawing on the experience and goodwill built up from its hugely successful 2014 Games, and the result is an event that's smaller in scale but no less significant for the cities and supporters involved. With the opening ceremony now only weeks away, there's no better time to start planning how you'll show your support.
A Different Kind of Games
This will be a leaner, more concentrated Commonwealth Games than previous editions. Just ten sports will be staged across four venues within an eight-mile corridor, from Scotstoun Stadium to the Scottish Event Campus, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before. It's a smaller scale than 2014, but the atmosphere promises to be every bit as electric, especially with thousands of volunteers and fans from across the city expected to turn out.
What makes the Commonwealth Games genuinely unique among major sporting events is how it's structured. Unlike the World Cup or the Olympics, all four Home Nations compete separately. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each field their own team, which means UK households often find themselves cheering for more than one flag depending on the sport, the athlete, and sometimes which family member is watching.
Decorating for a Home Nations Event
Because the Home Nations compete individually, this is one of those rare sporting occasions where flying more than one flag at once makes perfect sense. A Scottish household welcoming visiting family for the Games might want the Scotland Saltire flying proudly outside, while a mixed household elsewhere in the UK might want a full set ready depending on who's competing each day. With ten sports on the schedule, including athletics, swimming, gymnastics, netball, and boxing, there's a good chance every Home Nation will have a flag-worthy moment to celebrate at some point over the eleven days of competition.
For England supporters, the St George Cross remains the obvious choice, available in everything from garden flags to bunting and car flags. Welsh households will want the unmistakable Wales Dragon flag on display, while supporters of the Northern Ireland team can find their Northern Ireland flag options just as easily.
It's not just the Home Nations worth flying, either. With 74 Commonwealth nations and territories taking part, this is a genuinely global event. If you're hosting a watch party with friends from further afield, flags for nations like Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa are an easy way to mark the occasion and add a bit of colour to the day.
Planning Your Street Party or Watch Party
Street parties and pub gardens come alive during major sporting events, and bunting tends to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to atmosphere. If you're planning to decorate for a Commonwealth Games watch party, Commonwealth Games-themed bunting is a quick way to set the scene without needing to commit to a single nation's colours.
If you'd rather keep things simple but eye-catching, a Commonwealth Games flag makes an easy centrepiece for a garden, shop window, or community hall, and pairs nicely with national flags from whichever teams you're supporting most closely.
For those wanting something a little more personal, perhaps a flag celebrating a specific athlete, hometown, or sport, a custom Commonwealth Games flag lets you design exactly what you want. Just bear in mind that custom orders need a little more lead time than off-the-shelf flags, so it's worth getting your design sorted sooner rather than later with the opening ceremony fast approaching.
A Brilliant Excuse to Get the Bunting Out
Whether you're in Glasgow itself soaking up the atmosphere in person, or watching from a garden hundreds of miles away, there's something about a major multi-sport event that makes flags and bunting feel essential rather than optional. With four Home Nations all competing under their own colours, the 2026 Commonwealth Games gives UK households a rare chance to fly more than one flag with pride, often switching allegiances from one event to the next depending on who's in action.
With the Games now just weeks away, there's still time to get your flags, bunting, and garden displays sorted before the opening ceremony on 23 July. Whatever your connection to the Commonwealth, whichever nation you're cheering for, and however big or small your celebration plans are, there's a flag out there ready to mark the occasion.