The 2026 Mediterranean Games (), officially known as the XX Mediterranean Games () and commonly known as Taranto 2026, was an international multi-sport event in the Mediterranean Games series held from 21 August to 3 September 2026 in Taranto, Italy. Taranto was announced as the host city at the ICMG General Assembly in Patras, Greece, on 24 August 2019.
The Games were originally set to be held from 13 to 23 June, but were moved to 21 August to 3 September to avoid the peak summer weather, as well as to not clash with any other major sporting events, such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which would allow more high-level athletes to participate. The event returned to its traditional 4-year cycle following the postponement of the 2021 Mediterranean Games to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bidding process Candidates Taranto, Italy - In July 2019, the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM) announced the end of the candidature process and the sole candidate city, Taranto, for the 2026 Games, and on 24 August, Taranto was awarded the 2026 Games following a unanimous vote by the CIJM.
Vote results + 2026 Mediterranean Gamesbidding results City NOC Votes Taranto Unanimous
Development and preparation Venues Venues will be spread across the city of Taranto, its namesake province, and the surrounding region of Apulia. Several venues will be newly built or renovated.
Taranto's main football stadium, Stadio Erasmo Iacovone, received a €63.7 million redevelopment for the Games.
VenueCityEventsCapacityStatusStadio Erasmo IacovoneTarantoCeremonies20,049Existing, replacementFootball (preliminaries and finals)Athletics3,000NewMagna Grecia Tennis CenterTennis1,000 (center court)PalaRicciardiFencing1,000Volleyball (preliminaries and finals)5,000Existing, renovatedKickboxing (demonstration)Aquatics (swimming, water polo, finswimming)2,000 (indoor pool)1,000 (outdoor pool)NewTaranto Urban CircuitRoad cyclingTemporaryRoller speed skatingTriathlon3x3 basketball1,000Baseball5 (demonstration)TBAParco CiminoCanoeing800NewRowingTorpediniere Nautical CenterSailingSalinella Urban CenterPadel1,000SkateboardingStadio Franco FanuzziBrindisiFootball (preliminaries)7,500ExistingPalaPentassugliaVolleyball (men's preliminaries)3,534ConversanoHandball (women's preliminary)4,000Nuovo Palazzetto Dello SportCrispianoArchery1,000NewPalazzetto dello SportFasanoHandball (men's and women's preliminaries and finals)2,000ExistingStadio Giovanni Paolo IIFrancavilla FontanaFootball (preliminaries)3,360Palatifo e Tenso StrutturaBadminton1,150Grottaglie Sports Hall GrottaglieGymnastics900Stadio Via del mareLecceFootball (preliminaries)31,461Existing, renovatedPalaVenturaVolleyball (women's preliminary)1,300ExistingItria ValleyMartina FrancaRoad cyclingTemporaryJudo2,000ExistingKarateWrestlingMassafraTable Tennis800TaekwondoPalaMontemesolaMontemesolaBoules900Horse Club Terra JonicaSan Giorgio IonicoEquestrian1,000San Giorgio Ionico Sport HallBoxing800NewWeightliftingPalazzetto AlbanoTorricellaShooting1,000600Existing
Athletes Village The organising committee decided not to construct a permanent athletes village, and instead chose to have athletes hosted in the Aroya cruise ship and MS Romantika cruise-ferry docked at the Mar Grande Naval Station.
Tickets The organising committee will offer free admission (with a valid ticket) for several sports, including archery, badminton, bowls, boxing, canoeing, equestrian, judo, karate, padel, road cycling, roller sports, rowing, sailing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling.
The Games Sports 27 Olympic sports and disciplines will be contested and also 5 non-Olympic sports, with 5 team sports.
2026 Mediterranean Games sports programme Aquatics
Jumping (2)
Gymnastics (14) (1)
Roller sports
Demonstration sports In addition, 2 demonstration sports were held.
Participating nations All 26 National Olympic Committees who are members of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games are expected to send delegations.
Participating National Committees Albania (72) Algeria (268) Andorra (9) Bosnia and Herzegovina (76) Croatia (111) Cyprus (147) Egypt (196) France (330) Greece (281) Italy (498) (host) Kosovo (168) Lebanon (50) Libya (9) Malta (40) Monaco (18) Montenegro (55) Morocco (123) North Macedonia (88) Portugal (172) San Marino (29) Serbia (148) Slovenia (170) Spain (249) Syria (31) Tunisia (184) Turkey (332) Vatican City (4) *
* The Vatican City delegation participated in an unofficial ("non-scoring") manner.
Calendar The two demonstration sports, baseball5 and kickboxing, were held before the Games, respectively from 29 July to 1 August, and 31 July to 2 August. ● Opening ceremony ● Competitions ● Event finals ● Closing ceremony August / September 2026 20thThu 21stFri 22ndSat 23rdSun 24thMon 25thTue 26thWed 27thThu 28thFri 29thSat 30thSun 31stMon 1stTue 2ndWed 3rdThuEventsCeremonies | | bgcolor=#00cc33|●
| bgcolor=#ee3333|● 3x3 basketball | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | ! 2Aquatics Finswimming | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|9 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|9
! 18 Swimming | ! | bgcolor=#ffcc00|9 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|10 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|7 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|9
! 35 Water polo | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 1 Archery | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|5
! 5 Athletics | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|8 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|11 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|9 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|14 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 44 Badminton | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2
! 5 Boules | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|12
! 12 Boxing | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|14
! 14 Canoeing | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|6
! 6 Cycling | ! | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2
! 4 Equestrian | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | ! 2 Fencing | ! | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2
! 6 Football | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1
! 2Gymnastics Artistic | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|10 ! 14 Rhythmic | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1
! 1 Handball | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | ! 2 Judo | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|7 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|7 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1
! 15 Karate | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|7 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|3 ! 10 Padel | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|3
! 3Roller sports Skateboarding | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 ! 2 Roller speed skating | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|2
! 2 Rowing | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|6 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|4 | 10 Sailing | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|4 ! 4 Shooting | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|3 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1
! 11 Table tennis | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 ! 5 Taekwondo | ! | bgcolor=#ffcc00|4 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|4
! 8 Tennis | !
| bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|3 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2
! 5 Triathlon | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1
! 3 Volleyball | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2
! 2 Weightlifting | !
| bgcolor=#ffcc00|6 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|6 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|6 ! 18 Wrestling | ! | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|5 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|6 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|6
! 17 Daily medal events 0 0 17 30 17 27 15 25 22 11 18 24 34 45 3 288 Cumulative total 0 0 17 47 64 91 106 131 153 164 182 206 240 285 288August / September 2026 20thThu 21stFri 22ndSat 23rdSun 24thMon 25thTue 26thWed 27thThu 28thFri 29thSat 30thSun 31stMon 1stTue 2ndWed 3rdThu
Source:
Marketing Emblem The emblem for the 2026 Mediterranean Games was unveiled on 14 December 2019 at the Palace of Taranto. It was designed by the Istituto Comprensivo Gaetano Salvemini as part of a contest announced in May by the Municipality of Taranto. Resembling the Sailor Monument in the city, the emblem is formed up of two anthropomorphized x's that compose the number 20 written in Roman numerals.
Mascot The mascot is Ionios, a dolphin carrying a torch. The dolphin is the symbol of Taranto.
Medal table <onlyinclude>
Source: Medal Standings
Notes
References
External links (archived) Results Books (archived)