Anger at Commonwealth Games ticket sales problems

Laura Muir took gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games

Glasgow Commonwealth Games organisers have been criticised over prices and accessibility after the first batch of tickets for next year's event went on sale.

People living within Glasgow postcode areas who registered in advance had the first opportunity to land the briefs from noon.

However, BBC Scotland News has heard from several locals who were kicked out of the online queue, found they were limited in the number of tickets they were allowed to buy and then felt they were "priced out" of the biggest events.

Organisers said that the "small number of fans who had experienced challenges with technology had been supported through customer service".

John Hamilton contacted BBC Scotland News to say he was twice kicked out of the online queue and repeatedly told to reset his password while trying to buy tickets.

By the time he accessed the site, tickets were only available at the highest prices.

Ticket prices were listed as starting at £26 for medal sessions and £17 for non-medal sessions, although costs vary depending on the sport.

The top priced ticket for an athletics medal event at Scotstoun Stadium was £150, and a morning non-medal session of track cycling was listed at £90.

David Petrie said he had looked at buying tickets with a senior citizen's discount.

He added: "I was shocked by the prices. Even with the senior citizen rate, it was £94 for the gymnastics and £113 for the athletics. Who can afford that?"

The number of tickets available was capped at four for the majority of sports - a fact which some fans said was not communicated in advance.

Clare Lee said she and her family had been left empty-handed, after hoping to secure tickets for her, her husband and their four children.

She told BBC Scotland News: "I spent a while looking at trying to get two sets of three tickets so my husband could take two kids and I could take two, but can't find any sessions with groups of three together without paying hundreds of pounds.

"My sons all swim, cycle and run, but that's all the sports they've put a cap on."

Organisers said the pricing structure was made clear in the Q&A section of the Commonwealth Games 2026 website.

An unfortunate spelling mistake was in emails sent out about the tickets

Links sent out to people who had pre-registered asked them to click the link to "biuy" tickets, and the spelling mistake set the standard for what was to come, according to some families.

Dad-of-two David Bennett, who lives in Lenzie, said trying to access the sales site proved extremely difficult.

He said: "We were really excited to take our kids to different events but the site seemed to be fighting against us. Tickets kept appearing and disappearing and trying to look for different sessions seemed to cause more problems.

"At times we were told there were no tickets available - then suddenly they'd reappear again. It was also disappointing the details about limits on tickets didn't seem to have been published much before going on sale.

"We'd hoped to go with friends and extended family but that's now really difficult as even if they buy their own tickets there is no way to guarantee we'd actually be seated together."

About 500,000 tickets will be available in total for the event next summer.

Organisers said there had been huge demand for tickets, and that cheaper tickets for some sessions would be available in later releases.

A spokeswoman added: "We will be releasing more tickets across every category in each phase of the pre-sale so, if fans didn't secure the tickets they wanted in this pre-sale, there will be further opportunities to do so in the next pre-sales and from general sale on 30 October.

"As with any major ticket launch, a small number of fans experienced challenges with technology. Those who did experience problems and contacted us have received comprehensive customer support."

The pre-sale for people with G postcodes will run until 09:00 on Friday. The Scotland wide pre-sale will then begin at noon the same day, and continue until 09:00 Monday.

A second sale will then follow on Friday, for people living throughout Scotland, before a third and final pre-sale begins on 27 October, covering anyone in the rest of the world who registered in advance. A general sale then follows on 30 October.

3x3 basketball is one of the sports that will take place at the Glasgow Games in 2026

Glasgow stepped in to host the Games at the last minute after previous host Victoria, in Australia, withdrew due to concerns over the cost.

More than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories will compete across four venues in a scaled-down sporting programme next summer, comprising 10 sports and six para sports.

The 2026 games will run from 23 July until 2 August and will take place across four venues - Scotstoun Stadium, the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Arena and Tollcross International Swimming Centre.