The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games brought communities together, improved sporting facilities and gave more people opportunities to try sport, according to an independent impact report involving University of the West of Scotland (UWS) researchers.

The Glasgow 2026 Impact Evaluation Report highlights £5.7 million in venue improvements and community activity across all 32 Scottish local authorities, showing how the Games reached beyond the competition venues.

The Centre for Culture, Sport & Events (CCSE) at UWS were commissioned with The Bulb to act as the independent evaluators for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Impact Evaluation.

We have utilised our expertise in the social impact of major sport events to demonstrate that Glasgow 2026 was an inclusive and accessible Games that leveraged its resources effectively to drive engagement in, and beyond, the sport competition. Glasgow 2026 has tested a model that other event hosts can learn from to ensure that major sport events are socially progressive while also showcasing elite sport on the world stage.

Professor Gayle McPherson, Founding Director of CCSE

The CCSE team was primarily responsible for evaluating the inclusive and welcoming impact of the Games along with cross over to the economic impact. Staff in the centre led the work around the 26 case studies that provided a deep dive into a range of areas such as athlete experience, accessibility, volunteering, community participation, international sporting relations, and legacy. The findings reflect UWS’s principal research contribution which was to assess the Games’ social impact and not the economic evaluation.

Professor McGillivray, Chair in Event and Digital Cultures and Co-Director of the Centre for Culture, Sport & Events, said: “While Glasgow only had a short time to deliver these Games, it was able to draw on years of experience of hosting major events. What comes through in the evaluation is how much that mattered, particularly when involving local organisations as assets to drive engagement across the city’s communities.

Our research demonstrates that involvement helped people feel part of the event. Community groups could connect their own activities with the Games, while volunteering gave people a different way to contribute. These social dimensions are as important for the host city as what happened in the competition venues themselves. In our report there are useful lessons for future hosts. Involving people with a disability in auditing and testing the accessibility of venues led to improvements, for example, but the findings also show why accessibility needs to be considered throughout someone’s visit.

“Glasgow achieved a lot and understanding where the experience worked well and where it could have been better is how we help the next host succeed.”

For people without tickets, the free Game On Live Site in Kelvingrove Park offered a place to watch the action and try activities. Together, the Live Site and Merchant City Festival attracted an estimated 247,000 attendances. In a survey of 402 Live Site visitors, 95% said the site felt inclusive of different backgrounds and abilities.

Across Scotland, 755 organisations joined the All In programme, connecting local celebrations and activities with the Games. Among 60 organisations surveyed, 43% said their activity would not have happened without it, although some also received other funding.

Around 4,000 volunteers contributed more than 156,000 hours. More than a third had not volunteered in the previous two years, while 87% of post-Games survey respondents intended or would consider volunteering again.

Professor McPherson, said: “Having been involved in Glasgow 2014, it is particularly encouraging to see how the legacy from those Games helped the city deliver again in 2026. The venues were an obvious part of that legacy, but Glasgow also had people who understood what hosting an event of this scale required. That experience gave the city a strong foundation when time was short.

“For me, an important part of the story is how local groups made the Games relevant to their own communities. Through All In, organisations could connect their existing activities with Glasgow 2026, while local clubs gave people opportunities to try sport at the free Live Site. That meant people could take part in the Games without needing a ticket to a competition.

“We can’t assume that a successful summer will automatically lead to lasting change, but we can build on what people valued about being involved. Glasgow’s ability to host again shows how the benefits of a Games can emerge, even years later. The task now is to give the opportunities created in 2026 the best chance of doing the same.”

Glasgow’s approach put inclusion at the heart of the sporting programme, with a record 47 Para sport medal events and positive feedback from athletes, and Scottish Para-athletes contributed 36% of Scottish medals. Disabled people helped test venue accessibility and identify practical improvements, although the report found that getting to and around the Games could still be easier for some spectators.

Using existing venues allowed the city to build on earlier investment while improving facilities for future use. Delivered for less than £160 million, the Games generated an estimated £223 million in economic activity across Scotland, including £176 million in Glasgow City Region.

The UWS-led Glasgow 2026 Legacy Network also helped organisations connect their work around the Games. Those relationships offer opportunities to continue supporting local communities, provided partners have the support they need to take them forward.

Glasgow can take confidence from these Games. The city has shown that it can adapt and deliver something people want to be part of. As Scotland looks to future major events, we have an opportunity to build on that experience and give more people a chance to get involved. That is an exciting prospect for Glasgow and for the communities whose contribution made these Games possible.

Professor McGillivray, Chair in Event and Digital Cultures and Co-Director of the Centre for Culture, Sport & Events

Both the Impact Evaluation Report and the associated Case Studies can be downloaded from the Commonwealth Sport website.

The work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), through inclusive sport, accessibility, community participation and collaboration.