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2026 Mediterranean Games

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XX Mediterranean Games
Host cityTaranto, Italy
MottoEmbrace The Future[a]
Nations26
Athletes3,854[1]
Events279 in 28 sports
Opening21 August 2026
Closing3 September 2026
Opened byPresident Sergio Mattarella
Main venueStadio Erasmo Iacovone
Websiteta2026.com

The 2026 Mediterranean Games (Italian: Giochi del Mediterraneo 2026), officially known as the XX Mediterranean Games (Italian: XX Giochi del Mediterraneo) 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.[2] The event return to its traditional 4-year cycle following the 2021 Mediterranean Games postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bidding process

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Candidates

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Vote results

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2026 Mediterranean Games
bidding results
City NOC Votes
Taranto  Italy Unanimous

Development and preparation

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Venues

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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.[7]

Taranto's main football stadium, Stadio Erasmo Iacovone, received a €63.7 million redevelopment for the Games.[8]

Venue City Events Capacity Status
Stadio Erasmo Iacovone Taranto Ceremonies 20,049 Existing, replacement
Football (preliminaries and finals)
Stadio di atletica Giuseppe Valente [it] Athletics 3,000 New
Magna Grecia Tennis Center Tennis 1,000 (center court)
PalaRicciardi Fencing 1,000
PalaMazzola [it] Volleyball (preliminaries and finals) 5,000 Existing, renovated
Kickboxing (demonstration)
Torre d'Ayala Swimming Stadium [it] Aquatics (swimming, water polo, finswimming) 2,000 (indoor pool)
1,000 (outdoor pool)		 New
Taranto Urban Circuit Road cycling N/a Temporary
Roller speed skating N/a
Triathlon N/a
Giardini Peripato [it] 3x3 basketball 1,000
Baseball5 (demonstration) TBA
Parco Cimino Canoeing 800 New
Rowing
Torpediniere Nautical Center Sailing N/a
Salinella Urban Center Padel 1,000
Skateboarding
Stadio Franco Fanuzzi Brindisi Football (preliminaries) 7,500 Existing
PalaPentassuglia Volleyball (men's preliminaries) 3,534
Pala San Giacomo [it] Conversano Handball (women's preliminary) 4,000
Nuovo Palazzetto Dello Sport Crispiano Archery 1,000 New
Palazzetto dello Sport Fasano Handball (men's and women's preliminaries and finals) 2,000 Existing
Stadio Giovanni Paolo II Francavilla Fontana Football (preliminaries) 3,360
Palatifo e Tenso Struttura Badminton 1,150
Grottaglie Sports Hall Grottaglie Gymnastics 900
Stadio Via del mare Lecce Football (preliminaries) 31,461 Existing, renovated
PalaVentura Volleyball (women's preliminary) 1,300 Existing
Itria Valley Martina Franca Road cycling N/a Temporary
PalaWojtyla [it] Judo 2,000 Existing
Karate
Wrestling
Palasport Giovanni Paolo II [it] Massafra Table Tennis 800
Taekwondo
PalaMontemesola Montemesola Boules 900
Horse Club Terra Jonica San Giorgio Ionico Equestrian 1,000
San Giorgio Ionico Sport Hall Boxing 800 New
Weightlifting
Palazzetto Albano Torricella Shooting 1,000
600		 Existing

Athletes Village

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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.[9][10]

Tickets

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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.[11]

The Games

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Sports

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27 Olympic sports and disciplines will be contested and also 5 non-Olympic sports, with 5 team sports.[12]

2026 Mediterranean Games sports programme

Demonstration sports

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In addition, 2 demonstration sports were held.[13]

Participating nations

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All 26 National Olympic Committees who are members of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games are expected to send delegations.

Participating National Committees

* The Vatican City delegation participated in an unofficial ("non-scoring") manner.

Calendar

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The two demonstration sports, baseball5 and kickboxing, were held before the Games, respectively from 29 July to 1 August,[19] and 31 July to 2 August.[20]

 ● Opening ceremony ● Competitions ● Event finals ● Closing ceremony
August / September 2026 20th
Thu		 21st
Fri		 22nd
Sat		 23rd
Sun		 24th
Mon		 25th
Tue		 26th
Wed		 27th
Thu		 28th
Fri		 29th
Sat		 30th
Sun		 31st
Mon		 1st
Tue		 2nd
Wed		 3rd
Thu		 Events
Ceremonies ● ● N/a
3x3 basketball ● ● ● 2 2
Aquatics Finswimming 9 9 18
Swimming 9 10 7 9 35
Water polo ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1
Archery ● ● 5 5
Athletics 8 11 9 14 2 44
Badminton ● 1 ● ● 2 ● 2 5
Boules ● ● ● 12 12
Boxing ● ● ● ● ● 14 14
Canoeing ● ● 6 6
Cycling 2 2 4
Equestrian 1 1 2
Fencing 2 2 2 6
Football ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
Gymnastics Artistic 1 1 2 10 14
Rhythmic ● 1 1
Handball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
Judo 7 7 1 15
Karate 7 3 10
Padel ● ● ● ● ● ● 3 3
Roller sports Skateboarding ● 2 2
Roller speed skating 2 2
Rowing ● 6 4 10
Sailing ● ● ● ● ● 4 4
Shooting ● 2 ● 3 2 1 1 1 1 11
Table tennis ● ● 2 1 ● ● ● 2 5
Taekwondo 4 4 8
Tennis ● ● ● ● ● 3 2 5
Triathlon 2 1 3
Volleyball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
Weightlifting 6 6 6 18
Wrestling ● 5 6 6 17
Daily medal events001730172715252211182434453288
Cumulative total0017476491106131153164182206240285288
August / September 2026 20th
Thu		 21st
Fri		 22nd
Sat		 23rd
Sun		 24th
Mon		 25th
Tue		 26th
Wed		 27th
Thu		 28th
Fri		 29th
Sat		 30th
Sun		 31st
Mon		 1st
Tue		 2nd
Wed		 3rd
Thu		 N/a

Source:[12]

Marketing

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Emblem

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The emblem for the 2026 Mediterranean Games was unveiled on 14 December 2019 at the Palace of Taranto.[21][22] It was designed by the Istituto Comprensivo Gaetano Salvemini as part of a contest announced in May by the Municipality of Taranto.[22] 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.[22]

Mascot

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The mascot is Ionios, a dolphin carrying a torch. The dolphin is the symbol of Taranto.[23]

Medal table

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  *   Host nation (Italy)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Italy*747872224
2 Turkey412842111
3 Greece26261971
4 France25214288
5 Egypt23161958
6 Spain18352881
7 Morocco1691944
8 Portugal167932
9 Algeria1381940
10 Serbia7101936
11 Cyprus76518
12 Croatia6181539
13 Tunisia3101326
14 Slovenia341219
15 Kosovo2349
16 Albania2136
17 San Marino2024
18 Montenegro1236
 North Macedonia1236
20 Bosnia and Herzegovina1056
21 Lebanon1001
22 Libya0303
23 Monaco0101
24 Syria0044
25 Andorra0011
26 Malta0000
 Vatican City0000
Totals (27 entries)288288358934

Source: Medal Standings

Notes

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  1. ↑ Only an English motto will be used during the Games. There is no Italian equivalent of the motto adopted.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "A total of 3,854 athletes will compete in the Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026". International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). 10 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "New dates for the 20th Mediterranean Games "Taranto 2026"". cijm.org.gr. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 "The city of Taranto candidate for the XX Mediterranean Games". International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "Taranto will organize the 20th Mediterranean Games". International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). 24 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Olympic Highlights 22/07/2019". Olympics. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "A Taranto i XX Giochi del Mediterraneo. Malagò: 'che orgoglio, Italia protagonista assoluta nel 2026'" (in Italian). Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). 24 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ufficiale, a Taranto i Giochi del Mediterraneo 2026. E arrivano i fondi per il Via del Mare". www.calciolecce.it. 24 August 2019.
  8. ↑ Alberti, Francesco (27 July 2026). "Pregiudizio e orgoglio, uno stadio da custodire". Buonasera24 (in Italian).
  9. ↑ "Aroya Manara ship arrives in Taranto ahead of Mediterranean Games". CruiseMapper. 18 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "The AROYA cruise ship arrived in Taranto". International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). 16 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Tickets are on sale now, starting with the Opening Ceremony". www.ta2026.com. 25 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Game Plan". www.ta2026.com. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  13. ↑ "ICMG Coordination Commission concludes productive visit to Taranto for the 2026 Mediterranean Games". ICMG. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  14. ↑ "Nou esportistes representaran Andorra als Jocs dels Mediterrani de Taranto 2026". www.coa.ad. 29 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Taranto in blue: Italy shows up with 498 athletes". www.ta2026.com. 3 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Libya to compete at Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games with 9 athletes". Libya Observer. 4 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Syria to participate in Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games with 31 athletes". sana.sy. 8 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Pope says sport can be 'prophecy of peace' ahead of Mediterranean Games - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 17 August 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Türkiye beat France to claim historic first Baseball5 Mediterranean Cup title". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 1 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "WAKO Mediterranean Games, which will be held in Taranto, Italy, from July 31 to August 2, 2026". World Association of Kickboxing Organizations. 18 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Taranto 2026: The official logo of the Mediterranean Games". International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  22. 1 2 3 "Storia dei Giochi ed Edizioni" (in Italian). Taranto. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  23. ↑ "Ionios, mascot of the Mediterranean Games". Mediterranean Games Committee. 2023.
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