Where is the Commonwealth Games 2022? What is the host city, location of Birmingham opening ceremony, venues

More than 5,000 athletes from over 72 nations will descend on Birmingham for the 22nd Commonwealth Games, with the opening ceremony set to kick off the games later today (Thursday 28 July).

The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony comes almost 10 years to the day after the critically-acclaimed opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

This is what you need to know about where the Commonwealth Games 2022 are being hosted, and the venues that will house 280 events across 19 sports.

What is the Commonwealth Games 2022 host city?

For the first time ever, Birmingham, situated in the West Midlands region of England, will host the Commonwealth Games.

Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK, with a population of 1,140,500, according to the 2020 mid-year population estimates from Birmingham City Council.

It was announced back in 2017 that the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had selected Birmingham as the host city for the 2022 games.

At the time, Ian Metcalfe, Chair of Commonwealth Games England, said: “I am delighted that the Commonwealth Games Federation has awarded the 2022 Games to England and to Birmingham.

£In particular I am excited for all the Team England athletes who will have the immense privilege of competing at a home Games, backed by many thousands of proud England fans.

“England has a proud tradition of welcoming the world to our country and creating fantastic sports events, culture and the warmest of welcomes for the entire Commonwealth movement. We cannot wait to welcome the Commonwealth once again in 2022.”

The city will host the World Trampolining Championships and the International Blind Sport World Games next year, and will find out later this year whether a bid to stage the 2026 European Athletics Championships has been successful.

Where are the venues for the games?

The Commonwealth Games 2022 events will be spread across a number of different locations, with seven of them located in the city of Birmingham.

These are the venues and what events they will be hosting.

Birmingham venues

• Alexander Stadium: athletics 
• Arena Birmingham: gymnastics 
• Edgbaston Ground: cricket T20
• Sutton Park: triathlon
• University of Birmingham: hockey and squash
• Smithfield: 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball and the start of marathon events
• Victoria Square: the end point of the marathon events

The other venues

• Cannock Chase Forest, Cannock Chase district: cycling - mountain biking
• Coventry Arena, Coventry: judo and wrestling 
• Coventry Stadium, Coventry: rugby sevens 
• Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Sandwell: aquatics - swimming and diving
• National Exhibition Centre, Solihull: netball, weightlifting/powerlifting, table tennis, boxing and badminton 
• West Park, Wolverhampton: cycling - time trial
• Myton Fields, Warwick: cycling - road race
• Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa: lawn bowling
• Lee Valley VeloPark, London: cycling - track

Where are the opening and closing ceremonies going to be held?

The opening and closing ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games will be held at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

The opening ceremony will kick off later today, Thursday 28 July, with the pre-show beginning at 7:15pm.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to finish at 10:30pm, and will see Duran Duran headline the event.

Singer Simon Le Bon said: “The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is a momentous moment for the great city of Birmingham and we in Duran Duran are honoured to be a part of it in our home town.”

Also performing during the big event will be Tony Lommi of Black Sabbath and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).

Throughout the ceremony, we will see flags being hoisted, a parade of athletes and welcome speeches, as well as an artistic performance which strives to showcase what Birmingham has to offer.

The ceremony will conclude with the Queen’s baton relay, with the final relay running handing the baton back to the Queen, or her representative, who will read a message aloud to the crowd to officially open the games.

The game will run from Thursday 28 July to Monday 8 August.