History-making Games, lasting impact: Scottish Thistles inspire at Glasgow 2026
2nd August 2026
The Scottish Thistles have made history with an 8th place finish at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. It’s been a campaign filled with memorable performances, record-breaking moments and plenty of reasons for Scotland’s netball community to feel overwhelming pride in their national team.
Competing in front of passionate home crowds at the Hydro, the Thistles have demonstrated their quality, resilience and growing ability to challenge some of the leading nations in world netball.
While the results have told an important part of the story, the impact of seeing Scotland compete on one of the sport’s biggest stages has stretched far beyond the court.
A memorable start on home soil
Scotland opened their campaign against world number two New Zealand, and while the score wasn’t in our favour the match gave each of the players an opportunity to experience the sheer granduer and size of the Hydro venue. .
The Silver Ferns secured a 74–44 victory, but the occasion provided an unforgettable opening to the tournament. Thousands of supporters filled the Hydro to welcome the national team onto court and create a fitting atmosphere for Scotland’s first home Commonwealth Games netball match since 2014.
The Thistles responded strongly in their second game, producing a composed and confident performance to defeat old rival Wales, 56–47.
Scotland established an eight-goal advantage during the opening quarter and remained calm when Wales fought their way back into the contest. Emma Barrie finished with 39 goals from 41 attempts, while Cerys Finn recorded six gains and five interceptions in defence.
Records broken against Trinidad and Tobago
Scotland’s second victory arrived through a dominant 77–27 performance against Trinidad and Tobago.
The total represented Scotland’s highest score in a Commonwealth Games match, and theiu first time we have recorded back to back wins at a Commonwealth Games. Cerys Cairns produced an outstanding individual performance with 50 goals.
It was a result which highlighted the squad’s attacking speed, defensive pressure and ability to maintain their standards throughout all four quarters.
Thistles push Jamaica to the final moments
One of the defining performances of the campaign came against Jamaica, the silver medallists from Birmingham 2022.
Despite trailing by six goals after the opening quarter, Scotland fought their way back into the contest and pushed the Sunshine Girls through a tense final period.
The Thistles briefly moved ahead during the closing stages before Jamaica held their nerve to secure a narrow 45–43 victory.
Although Scotland fell just short of a major result, the two-goal margin represented their best-ever performance against Jamaica, improving on the previous five-goal margin recorded at the 1975 Netball World Cup.
The performance demonstrated how much the gap has closed between Scotland and the established top nations, with the home crowd responding to every gain, goal and turnover.
Resilience against Uganda
Scotland completed the pool stage against Uganda, with the African nation building an early advantage on its way to a 65–56 victory.
The Thistles refused to allow the game to drift away, drawing the third quarter 16–16 before winning the final period 18–13.
Although the result brought disappointment, the second-half response again showed the character within the group and their determination to compete until the final whistle.
Final classification match
Scotland 47 Malawi 54
The Thistles completed their Glasgow 2026 campaign against Malawi in the seventh-place classification match.
Despite the defeat, Scotland finished the tournament having recorded two victories, broken a national Commonwealth Games scoring record and produced their closest-ever performance against Jamaica.
Inspiring the next generation
The Thistles’ Glasgow 2026 campaign has been about more than wins and losses.
Young players from clubs, schools and communities across the country have watched Scotland’s leading athletes compete in front of packed crowds at one of the world’s most recognisable venues.
They have seen the speed, skill and physical demands of international netball, but also the connection, courage and determination needed to represent Scotland.
For the players, coaches, officials and volunteers who support netball every week, the Games have created a shared moment of pride and brought the netball community together.
The challenge now is to build on that momentum.
Head Coach Kath Tetley:
“The support we have felt throughout these Games has been incredible. Every time the players stepped onto court, they could hear and feel the crowd behind them, and that gave the whole group such a lift.
“To represent Scotland at a home Commonwealth Games has been incredibly special, and we are so grateful to everyone who came to the Hydro, watched from home and supported us from clubs and communities across the country.
“We hope the performances have made people proud and inspired more young players to pick up a netball. This team has felt the backing of the whole Scottish netball community, and we cannot thank everyone enough.”
Glasgow 2026 has provided a powerful platform for the sport, raised the profile of the Thistles and introduced international netball to a new audience. The performances of this squad will continue to inspire players across Scotland long after the final whistle at the Hydro.
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