Judo at the 2026 Commonwealth Games begins on Thursday 31 July at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow and runs through to Sunday 2 August. According to the International Judo Federation, 174 athletes from 41 nations and territories will compete across seven men's and seven women's weight categories for a total of fourteen gold medals.
Judo has been a full Commonwealth Games sport since 1990 in Auckland. Glasgow 2026 marks the sixth edition of Commonwealth judo and the third time the sport has been staged in Scotland, following a demonstration event in 1986 and the full programme at Glasgow 2014. The SEC, located west of Glasgow city centre, has a long track record of hosting major international sporting events.
Team Scotland
Scotland's 13-strong squad is headlined by Sarah Adlington in the women's over-78 kg category. Adlington won Commonwealth gold at Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022, making her the first judoka to win two Commonwealth Games titles. BBC Sport reported that she hopes to complete a third gold on home soil before retiring from competition. The remaining twelve members of the squad are all making their Commonwealth Games debut.
England hold the all-time record in Commonwealth Games judo with 55 medals, 33 of them gold. The full England squad and their target categories are expected to be confirmed before the opening day.
Indian Team Luggage Incident
Several members of the Indian judo team arrived in Glasgow to find that their checked luggage had been lost by the airline. The missing items include competition judogis and training gear. The Indian Olympic Association has intervened and is working with the airline and the organising committee. India's boxing squad faced a similar situation after travelling from a training camp in Belfast earlier in the Games, and the IOA has said it will follow up on both incidents.
With less than two days before competition, affected athletes must source replacement judogis and equipment, disrupting their preparation routine.
Competition Format and Schedule
Judo is one of the final sports on the Glasgow 2026 programme and may produce some of the last gold medals awarded at the Games. As is standard at the Commonwealth Games, each weight category will run its preliminary rounds, repechage and final on the same day. The draw, first-round match-ups and daily session times are due to be published by the organisers before Thursday.
Event tickets are priced between GBP 12 and GBP 50.