New Venues and Closing Ceremony for Geelong in 2026

The Closing Ceremony for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held at Kardinia Park, while $292 million is being invested for new sporting infrastructure in Geelong.

Geelong will take centre stage for the Commonwealth Games being held in regional Victoria, hosting nine sports, a brand-new athletes’ village and the Closing Ceremony at Australia’s largest regional stadium.

$292 million in Victorian Government funding will create new purpose-built sporting infrastructure in Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek, that will be converted into community infrastructure following the Commonwealth Games for these growing communities.

The aquatics centre in Armstrong Creek will host the swimming and diving, with temporary grandstand seating and facilities to host thousands of spectators for the Games. After the Games, it will become a community pool facility, with multi-purpose courts and green open space preserved.

An indoor facility will be built in Waurn Ponds, to host artistic gymnastics and weightlifting. It will become a seven-court multipurpose facility after the Games, also featuring a dance studio and regional-level gymnastics centre.

Commonwealth Games Australia CEO Craig Phillips AM said, “Aquatics and gymnastics are highlights at any Commonwealth Games and these new facilities at Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek will be terrific for hosting the Commonwealth’s best athletes.”

Two Commonwealth Games-first sports will be hosted in the region with Golf teeing off on the Bellarine Peninsula and Coastal Rowing making its debut in Torquay, the gateway to the iconic Great Ocean Road.

The Games village location is now also confirmed, with the Waurn Ponds Station Precinct to become a home-away-from-home for about 2,500 athletes and officials in March 2026.

The village will be designed in consultation with the local community and Traditional Owners, celebrating the rich culture of the Wadawurrung people and showcasing the lifestyle of Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast.

Kardinia Park (commercially known as GMHBA Stadium) will host the Closing Ceremony and the final of the T20 Cricket.

The final stage of the Kardinia Park redevelopment is ongoing thanks to $142 million in funding and once complete in mid-2023, the stadium will have a seating capacity of 40,000.

Geelong will be home to nine sports for the 2026 Commonwealth Games: Aquatics (swimming and diving) and Para Swimming, Triathlon and Para Triathlon, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Beach Volleyball, Coastal Rowing, Cricket T20, Golf, Artistic Gymnastics and Hockey.

The Opening Ceremony will be held at the MCG, while track & field events will be staged at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery Jacinta Allan said, “Tens of thousands of people will come to Geelong for Victoria 2026, and we’re investing in the world-class housing and sporting infrastructure that will benefit not only Games delivery but the community for years to come.”

“What a win for Torquay to see a new Commonwealth sport get underway at one of the world’s finest beaches, as a centrepiece of our regional Games.”