Malaysia will not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in a decision that comes two years before the Games are due to begin. The Asian country had doubts about organising the event because of the cost.

The government said that the main reason for not hosting the Games was the huge cost involved, although it had considered a scaled-down Commonwealth Games in 2026 as a possibility.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. "The Ministry of Youth and Sports today announced the government's decision not to accept an offer from the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games," said minister Hannah Yeoh in a statement.

The president of the Commonwealth Games Association of Malaysia, Mohamad Norza Zakaria, described the CGF's offer as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" that would give Malaysia global exposure through sport. 

Khairy Jamaluddin, a former Youth and Sports Minister, called the idea "reckless". "The Commonwealth Games is not a major, marquee sporting event. As a multi-sport event, it is nowhere near the Olympics or even the Asian Games in terms of participation, exposure and revenue," he said.

The situation has become more complicated for the CGF over time with Malaysia saying no and the Australian state of Victoria also declining to host this edition of the Commonwealth Games last July, as did Gold Coast. 

The CGF offered £100 million (€116 million) to find out who wanted to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The Malaysian government said the offer was "not expected to be able to cover the full cost of organising a major sporting event", Yeoh stressed. 

The CGF hinted that it has approached other countries about potentially hosting the Games and expects Singapore to say yes. They are "studying the feasibility" of hosting such an event with just two years to go before the opening ceremony. The city-state has been on the sporting map from 1999 to 2017 with the Formula One race and will also host the World Aquatics Championships in 2025.