Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: full list of West Midlands venues - from Alexander Stadium to Sandwell

The Commonwealth Games 2022 get underway in Birmingham in just over a month, and teams from every corner of the globe will be competing for glory across the region.

The games are primarily being held in Birmingham, but some events are set to take place in other areas of the West Midlands.

Ahead of the Games, here is all you need to know about each of the venues that will play host to events across the summer.

When are the 2022 Commonwealth Games?

This year’s Commonwealth Games get underway on Thursday 28 July and will come to an end on Monday, 8 August.

Where will the Commonwealth Games 2022 be held?

Across the 11 day celebration of sport, 15 venues in Birmingham and the surrounding area will host sessions.

These are listed below.

• Alexander Stadium, Birmingham
• Birmingham Arena
• Cannock Chase Forest
• Coventry Stadium and Arena (Ricoh Arena)
• Edgbaston Cricket Ground
• Lee Valley VeloPark
• The National Exhibition Centre (NEC)
• Sandwell Aquatics Centre 
• Smithfield
• Sutton Park
• University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre
• Victoria Park
• Victoria Square
• Warwick
• West Park

Alexander Stadium

The Alexander Stadium will be one of the main venues for the games, and will host both the opening and closing ceremonies.

Athletes will also compete in track and field events from August 2 to 7 at the venue which has been transformed ahead of the Games.

With the new West Stand in place, the stadium will be able to hold 18,000 spectators in its permanent configuration, while additional temporary stands will increase the capacity to 30,000 for the Games.

Arena Birmingham

The vast indoor arena will host athletics and other indoor events during the games.

As a multi-purpose venue, it is extremely flexible and the Arena’s capacity can range from a maximum of 15,800 down to 2,464 for more intimate events.

Cannock Chase Forest

Mountain biking and cycling events will take place in the forest, and people who purchase tickets can watch the events from a viewing area at the start and finish line.

Coventry Arena and Stadium

Judo and wrestling will be held at the 32,500 seater stadium in Coventry which is home to Wasps Rugby and Coventry City FC.

Its record attendance to a sporting event was in 2015 with 32,019 Wasps and Leicester Tigers fans showing their support in the local derby.

The stadium will host the rugby 7’s competition.

Edgbaston

Women’s T20 cricket makes its Commonwealth Games debut this year, and all games will be played at the home of Warwickshire CCC.

One thing to note is that Edgbaston Stadium is a cashless venue.

Lee Valley Velopark

The park will host the indoor cycling events and opened in April 2014.

The Velopark is also the world’s only venue that brings together the four Olympic cycling disciplines: track in the iconic London 2012 velodrome, BMX, road and mountain biking.

The NEC

The vast indoor arena, located near to Birmingham Airport, will play host to a series of events during the Commonwealth Games.

These include badminton, boxing and table tennis.

Sandwell Aquatics Centre

The centre is the only new venue for the 2022 Games.

It houses a swimming and diving competition pool and this venue will host more medal events than any other venue.

A temporary swimming and para swimming warm-up pool has also been built at the facility, as well as a dry dive training area.

Smithfields

Basketball, wheelchair basketball and beach volleyball will take place at Smithfields, which is located on the site of Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets.

The basketball 3x3 and beach volleyball venues are expected to seat 2,500 and 4,000 spectators respectively.

Sutton Park

Sutton Park was selected as the ideal venue for the Triathlon and Para Triathlon events with Powell’s Pool, the park and local roads providing the ideal topography required to host the three triathlon disciplines.

University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre

The University’s purpose built arena will play host to all of the hockey and squash fixtures during the games.

Temporary seating for around 6,000 spectators and accredited guests will be built around the main competition pitch.

Victoria Park

The Leamington Spa Park will host the lawn bowls and para lawn bowls of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Up to 5,000 fans per day will watch the action across five bowling greens.

Victoria Square

The famous Birmingham square will be the start and finish points of the marathon events which are due to be held on 30 July.

Warwick Road Race

160 of the world’s best cyclists are set to gather at Myton Fields for the road races, scheduled to be held on the penultimate day of the Commonwealth Games.

West Park

Wolverhampton’s historic West Park will provide a stunning backdrop to the start and finish of the Cycling Time Trial.

The park, which opened in 1881, is considered to be one of the finest examples of unspoilt Victorian parkland in England, boasting a Grade II listed bandstand, conservatory, tennis courts, bowling greens and a large lake.