Malta and Gozo will host eight sports - including swimming and water polo 4x4 - across six days of competition from 29 October to 4 November 2027, welcoming around 1,200 young athletes from across the Commonwealth.
Malta has confirmed the competition dates and venues for the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games, with the eighth edition set to take place from 29 October to 4 November 2027. The Games are expected to bring together approximately 1,200 athletes aged 14 to 18, representing 74 nations and territories.
Competition will be staged across seven venues located on the islands of Malta and Gozo, with eight sports featured on the programme. Aquatic disciplines will be central to the event, with swimming and para-swimming hosted at the Tal-Qroqq National Pool, and the fast-paced 4x4 water polo competition at the Cottonera Indoor Pool.
The full list of venues includes:
- Cottonera Indoor Pool – Water Polo 4x4
- Tal-Qroqq National Pool – Swimming and Para Swimming
- Marsa Athletics Stadium – Athletics and Para Athletics
- Marsa Sports Centre – Squash and Weightlifting
- Mellieha Bay – Sailing
- Gozo Indoor Sports Pavilion – Netball
- Marsalforn Bay – Triathlon
The Games will benefit from significant recent investment in sporting infrastructure. The Marsa Sports Complex, inaugurated in January 2026, forms part of a broader national strategy to enhance Malta’s capacity to host international events. In Gozo, the newly opened Indoor Aquatic and Sports Pavilion—featuring an Olympic-size pool and multi-sport facilities—marks a milestone development for the island and will host the netball competition.
The 2027 edition will feature the most extensive Para sport programme in Commonwealth Youth Games history, building on recent progress in inclusive sport. It will also mark the debut of both sailing and water polo at the event, further broadening the sporting offering for all athletes.
First held in 2000, the Commonwealth Youth Games provide an important development platform for emerging athletes, offering early exposure to international, multi-sport competition. More than 6,000 athletes have participated in the Games to date, many progressing to senior elite level.
The most recent edition, staged in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023, was the largest in the event’s history. Malta will now look to build on that momentum, while also aiming to surpass its strongest previous performance at the Games.
About Commonwealth Sport
Commonwealth Sport is the organisation with responsibility for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and for delivering the vision of the Commonwealth Sport Movement: 'Our Commonwealth, united through sport'. Our mission is to deliver inspirational and impactful Games; to excite and empower Athletes and young people; and to drive equality in sport and society across the Commonwealth.
Established in 1930, the Commonwealth Sport Movement brings together 74 independent nations and territories, creating a diverse Commonwealth community of over 2.5 billion individuals, representing one-third of the world's population. Together we stand as a beacon of unity, diversity, and equality, completely integrating Para Athletes, driving gender equality and advocating for legacy and social change through sport.