Team Nigeria emerged as Africa’s highest-ranked nation at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, finishing sixth on the overall medals table despite falling short of its gold medal target.
Nigeria concluded the Games with 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals, placing ahead of every other African country. South Africa finished 11th with seven gold medals, while Kenya placed 13th after winning three gold medals.
The sixth-place finish marks Nigeria’s best Commonwealth Games performance in 20 years. It also represents an improvement on recent editions, having finished seventh at Birmingham 2022, eighth at Glasgow 2014, ninth at both Delhi 2010 and Gold Coast 2018, and 12th at Melbourne 2006.
Although the overall medal count was Nigeria’s lowest since the 2006 Games, the country’s ranking improved because gold medals were more evenly shared among the leading nations. As a result, Nigeria’s 10 gold medals proved enough to secure a top-six finish.
Athletics played a major role in the campaign, with Team Nigeria collecting 13 medals—three gold, six silver and four bronze—to finish fifth in the athletics standings behind Australia, Jamaica, England, and Canada, while outperforming every other African nation.
Among the standout performers was Samuel Ogazi, who won gold in the men’s 400 metres before helping Nigeria claim bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay. Ruth Usoro added a silver medal in the women’s long jump, while the men’s 4x100m relay team secured bronze after a dramatic race that saw Nigeria narrowly miss out on gold following Canada’s successful appeal.
Nigeria had travelled to Glasgow targeting 16 gold medals, but missed out in several key events, including the women’s 100m hurdles, where Tobi Amusan failed to win gold, the men’s 100m, and the mixed 4x400m relay. The country’s medal haul was also affected by the removal of sports such as wrestling and table tennis, disciplines that contributed significantly to Nigeria’s success at previous Commonwealth Games.
Despite those setbacks, Team Nigeria impressed with several record-breaking performances and strong consistency throughout the competition. In athletics alone, the team recorded four first-place finishes, three second-place finishes and six third-place finishes, accumulating 107 points on the placing table.
Reflecting on the campaign, Team Nigeria’s Chief de Mission, Yusuf Alli, described the outing as a success despite missing the projected medal target.
“We actually had a projection of 16 gold medals coming to Glasgow, but in sports, anything can happen. Who would have thought Tobi Amusan would miss the gold? All the same, our athletes did well. I am proud of them,” Alli said.
Australia finished top of the medals table with 65 gold medals, followed by England with 26. Canada, India, and host nation Scotland completed the top five ahead of Nigeria.
