5.06amScottish shoe dramaBy Damien WoolnoughThe Scottish team uniforms, designed by Siobhan McKenzie, attracted accusations of sexism thanks to mini-kilt options, sporran style purses and black high heels for female athletes. It looks like some athletes have taken matters into their own hands, or feet, swapping out the heels for more on-brand sneakers as they prepare for the opening ceremony.Team Scotland entering the OVO Hydro stadium for the opening ceremony.SNS Group via Getty ImagesIn a show of solidarity, male athletes have also traded formal shoes for sporty footwear.5.02amOpening Ceremony begins, but there’s no sold-out crowdBy Hannah KennellyThe countdown for the opening ceremony for the 2026 Commonwealth Games has begun.The show kicks off at 8pm Glasgow time, however by 7.30pm (local time) the Hydro Stadium was still half empty. As the clock ticked down more spectators started to flood in and fill the stands, and the arena is approximately 90 per cent full.The stage has a 360-degree design, so organisers can make full use of the stadium, however many of the seats on the upper levels are empty.That hasn’t seemed to dull the excitement of the crowd who have already begun a self-led chant of I’m Gonna be (500 miles). Earlier in the day, Glasgow Commonwealth Games CEO Phil Batty would not tell media how many tickets had been sold so far, only saying the team was “on track to meet their requirements”.He also declined to explain how many free tickets had been given out to the public, but did say cycling had sold-out, while there were only a few tickets left for swimming.“But we’ve also sold more tickets for netball than have ever been sold in Scotland in the history of time,” Batty said.4.58amAussie Aussie Aussie!By Bronte GosslingTeam Australia is in the house!Decked out in green and gold, our athletes have made their way to Glasgow’s The Hydro. Modelled on the great amphitheatres of Greece and Rome, the arena staged gymnastics and netball during the Commonwealth Games in 2014 – and now the opening ceremony for the 2026 competition.Let the Games begin.Basketballers Emma Clarke and Lara McSpadden with their teammates outside Glasgow’s The Hydro.@laramcspadden14Hannah Dodd and her fellow 3x3 basketball athletes ahead of the opening ceremony.@quaddy_doddy4.51amFrom the ankles down, Team Australia’s uniforms are the envy of the worldBy Damien WoolnoughWell, maybe not the whole world, but the female Commonwealth Games athletes from Scotland – whose official uniform includes nightclub-ready black heels – are likely to covet Team Australia’s Craftsman boots with matching belts from R.M. Williams.The rest of our uniform respectfully touches on private school blazers, in a pleasing hunter green with a promising touch of gold thanks to the team insignia. There’s a playful whiff of the Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets, thanks to chinos and skirts.The Commonwealth Games uniforms by R.M. Williams for Team Australia.First Nations design touches peek out of the jacket lining, breast pockets on the mens’ blazers and on hair ties, worn with crisp white shirts ready for Rotarian speech nights.“Designing for Team Australia goes beyond appearance,” said R.M. Williams designer Charles Kennedy. “It’s about capturing pride, identity, and belonging, and creating pieces worthy of the moment athletes represent their country.”A nice sentiment, but do the ensembles live up to it? To see our verdict on each country’s Commonwealth Games uniforms, from the “sexist AF” to skater vibes, click here.4.45amMeet Finnie, the Games’ official mascotBy Heads up, you’ll definitely see a unicorn more than once tonight.But that unicorn won’t be just any unicorn. That unicorn will be Finnie.Finnie the unicorn ahead of the opening ceremony.Getty ImagesFinnie is the official mascot of the 2026 Glasgow Games. A few of us around here speculated why the mascot wouldn’t be Scotland’s beloved highland cow (highland coo if you’re a local … like us), but then we remembered the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal.In Scotland, unicorns symbolise purity, innocence and power in Celtic mythology.A woman carries Finnie the Games mascot.AP Photo/Manish Swarup4.34amThe 75-year-old great-grandmother making her Commonwealth Games debutBy Hannah KennellyJacky Hudson’s grandson, Zac Laybutt, plays in the NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys. Her son, Stephen Laybutt, represented Australia as an Olyroo at Sydney 2000.Now, the 75-year-old grandmother of five (and great-grandmother of two) is having her chance in the sporting spotlight as part of the Commonwealth Games’ bowls squad.Jacky Hudson will represent Australia in lawn bowls at the Commonwealth Games.Bowls Australia Photography, Paul A. Broben“I’m probably still in shock a little but absolutely delighted and really proud that all the hard work has paid off,” she told this masthead.“It’s a privilege as well. I’m looking at it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity unless I still want to hang around until the next Comm Games or world championships,” she laughed.Read more about Hudson, and her journey to green and gold glory, here.4.28amCommonwealth Games chief admits this will be ‘a different kind of Games’By Hannah KennellyThe last time the Commonwealth Games were in Glasgow, things looked a little different.The year was 2014 and the Games were a roaring success – a program with 17 sports, a gigantic global audience and record-breaking ticket sales.Two of the venues for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Armadillo and The Hydro.GettyIn 2026, Glasgow is hosting once again after Victoria pulled the plug, agreeing to facilitate a small-scale version with a reduced roster and no athletes village – costing about $300 million.As Glasgow Commonwealth Games chief Phil Batty notes, this will be “a different kind of Games”. 4.25amGlasgow, bring the noiseBy Robert MoranYou’d imagine Scotland, one of the most musically fertile countries in the world, would have acts galore to choose from today’s celebration – think Belle and Sebastian, Primal Scream, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, even The Proclaimers.But the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony seems as popular among musicians as a Trump inauguration. For example, the Games has an “official DJ” and somehow it’s not even Scottish superstar Calvin Harris – it’s Outlander actor Sam Heughan, and he’s not even performing at the opening ceremony. (He’s stepping behind the decks the next day, at the first medal session.)Sam Heughan, pictured with Caitriona Balfe in Outlander, is the 2026 Commonwealth Games’ official DJ.AP/Sony/Ed MillerLeading the opening ceremony are such high-profile names as – checks notes – Tom Walker, Nina Nesbitt, Nathan Evans and Saint PHNX. In the ever-useful words of Mariah Carey, I don’t know her.But someone we do all know? KT Tunstall is here! If she doesn’t perform Suddenly I See – aka the song from The Devil Wears Prada – I’m turning off my TV. (I jest, my TV isn’t even on.)You can only imagine what Melbourne would’ve done with this opening ceremony. Kylie Minogue! Amyl and the Sniffers! King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard!Let’s be honest, it would’ve been Vanessa Amorosi’s Absolutely Everybody, and it would’ve been incredible.4.20amMeet Australia’s flag and baton bearersBy Billie EderNina Kennedy had her doubts.After undergoing major surgery to repair a hamstring that tore three times in six weeks, the Olympic and Commonwealth Games pole vault champion questioned whether she could get back to her best, or better.Now, not only will Kennedy be defending her gold medal from Birmingham in 2022, she will also lead the Australian team out at the Glasgow opening ceremony, after chef de mission Petria Thomas named Kennedy the nation’s flag bearer alongside swimmer Tim Hodge, who will be Australia’s inaugural baton bearer.Australia’s flag and baton bearers Nina Kennedy and Tim Hodge.Getty Images“Each of them has longevity, character and humility, and the support of the whole Australian sporting community behind them,” Thomas said.4.15amWelcomeBy Rise and shine Australia, it’s time for the Commonwealth Games.Yes, it’s been a bumpy ride to get here, but the 2026 Games are finally under way with the opening ceremony at The Hydro along the River Clyde this morning.Billie Eder and Hannah Kennelly here on the ground in Glasgow to bring you all the updates from the ceremony, with Bronte Gossling pitching in from the Sydney bureau.Things officially kick off at 5am AEDT (8pm for any of our friends in Glasgow), but we have plenty of previews and news to bring you until then.Let’s get cracking.The venue of the Games Opening Ceremony.Getty1 of 1