Nigeria to Celebrate King’s Baton Relay Ahead Glasgow Games

The King’s Baton Relay will be hosted in Nigeria between June 15 and June 18, 2025, under the auspices of Commonwealth Sport and the Commonwealth Games, Nigeria. 

The baton will be presented to His Majesty, King Charles III, during the Opening Ceremony of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland on July 26, 2026.

For the first time, each of the 74 Commonwealth nations and territories will receive its baton to customise and decorate, showcasing its unique cultural heritage. The King’s Baton has already arrived in Nigeria.

The baton usually carries a message from Her Majesty the Queen, uniting all nations and territories with a call to come together in friendly competition at the Games. Like the Olympic Torch Relay, the King’s Baton Relay symbolises the spirit of the Commonwealth Games.

However, following Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8, 2022, the baton relay was renamed the King’s Baton Relay in honour of her successor, King Charles III, for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

His Majesty the King, Patron of Commonwealth Sport, officially launched the inaugural Commonwealth Sport King’s Baton Relay for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day, Monday, March 10, 2025.

In an unprecedented initiative, Commonwealth Sport is collaborating with the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) for the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign. 

This partnership aims to spotlight ongoing ocean conservation efforts and innovative solutions to plastic waste. 

Nigeria and other African countries will participate in the festivities from June 15 to June 18, 2025.