[4] On 18 July 2023, the Victorian state government cancelled its plans due to escalating cost projections.

The city of Gold Coast, Queensland, briefly offered to co-host the event but later withdrew for similar reasons.

Commonwealth Games Scotland proposed a scaled-back version of the event, featuring 10 to 13 sports and using existing infrastructure, with £100 million in funding from the Commonwealth Games Federation and an additional £30 to 50 million from commercial sources, ensuring no significant public funds would be required.

[9] A further update on 30 August 2024 confirmed that the Games would be primarily funded by AU$200 million, secured as compensation from the Victorian government following their withdrawal.

During the CGF General Assembly on 31 March 2017 in Gold Coast, after the troubled 2022 Commonwealth Games host city bid process, the executive board announced that it had planned to award both 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games simultaneously at the CGF General Assembly scheduled for Kigali, Rwanda in September 2019.

A new model called CGF Partnerships (CGFP) was implemented which aimed to give stronger support to the associations and cities that show interests in hosting future Games, and enhance the overall value of the event.

[16] In January 2022, the Victorian State Government announced it was giving serious consideration to a late request from the CGF to host the Games.

On 16 February 2022, Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews confirmed that the state was in exclusive negotiations with the CGF to host the Games.

Acceptance of the bid would likely also be conditional upon agreement on ways to control costs, such as housing athletes and officials in hotels rather than a dedicated village.

[20] On 18 July 2023, Andrews and Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan announced the state government intended to cancel the 2026 Victorian Games.

[23] Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf also stated that he was "willing to consider proposals" for Scotland to host at least some of the events at the Games.

[27] However, on 22 March 2024, the Malaysian Cabinet declined the offer, stating that the £100 million would be insufficient to cover the event's costs.

[32] Discussions were ongoing between Commonwealth Games Scotland, the Scottish Government, and EventScotland with a confirmed bid expected by the end of the month.