Nigeria finishes as Africa's best at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games despite lower medal haul

ONigeria finishes as Africa's best at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games despite lower medal haul

Team Nigeria ended the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as Africa's highest-ranked nation, finishing an impressive seventh on the final medals table with ten gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals for a total of 24 medals.

Although Nigeria maintained its status as the continent's leading sporting nation at the Games, the team's overall haul fell short of its performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where it claimed 35 medals.

The Glasgow return of 24 medals represents 11 fewer medals, while the country's 10 gold medals were also two less than the 12 golds won four years ago.

Australia dominated the Games with a commanding 70 gold medals, ahead of England and Canada, while Nigeria finished above traditional sporting nations such as Jamaica, Wales, Malaysia and South Africa.

The final medals table also highlighted Africa's growing presence on the Commonwealth sporting stage, with 13 African countries winning at least one medal.

After Nigeria's seventh-place finish, South Africa ranked 11th with 7 gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze medals.

Kenya placed 13th with three gold, four silver and five bronze medals, while Mauritius (15th) secured one gold, two silver and one bronze.

Cameroon finished 16th with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Uganda ended 27th with two silver and one bronze medal, while Namibia (29th) claimed one silver and two bronze medals. Ghana finished 30th with one silver and one bronze.

Other African nations on the medals table included Lesotho (two bronze), Zambia (two bronze), Gabon (one bronze), Rwanda (one bronze) and The Gambia (one bronze).

While the reduced medal tally leaves room for reflection ahead of future major championships, Nigeria's ability to finish as Africa's number one nation once again underlines its strength across multiple sports and reinforces its position as one of the Commonwealth's leading sporting countries.