South Africa among seven countries in talks to host 2036 Summer Olympics
The International Olympic Committee confirmed on 6 October 2026 that South Africa has shown interest in hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics; the country would be the first African host if its bid succeeds. The IOC said seven nations are in "continuous dialogue" about the 2036 Games.
The list of interested countries includes Hungary, India, Qatar and Turkey, which are pursuing first-time Summer Games, while Germany and South Korea are in discussions with the IOC after having previously hosted the event. The IOC named national Olympic committees as the parties that will progress discussions, noting these committees have already announced an intention to explore hosting bids.
The IOC has set a 31 October deadline for submissions of stated interest. Interested parties will give virtual presentations to the body's future host commission in November, and IOC feasibility assessments are scheduled to be carried out by March 2027. Following those assessments, the national Olympic committees will enter strategic dialogue with the IOC.
South Africa's proposal envisages staging events across Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. The bid would make South Africa the continent's first Summer Olympics host if selected. Durban had been due to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022 but withdrew in 2017.
India's bid nominates Ahmedabad as its host city. Ahmedabad is due to welcome the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and has bid for the 2038 Asian Games. The city has staged four of the last five Indian Premier League finals at the Narendra Modi stadium, which is reported to have a capacity of 132,000 and is named after the current prime minister of India, who hails from the city.
Hungary and Qatar have nominated Budapest and Doha respectively as their candidate cities. Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, using multiple stadia in the capital, while Budapest staged the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Turkey has nominated Istanbul, a city that previously bid unsuccessfully for the 2000, 2008 and 2020 Games and will host the 2027 European Games.
Germany has hosted the Olympics in 1936 in Berlin and 1972 in Munich, with Munich bidding again for 2036. South Korea's bid involves Seoul, which hosted the Games in 1988, together with the province of North Jeolla. The IOC also confirmed a number of national Olympic committees are taking part in non-committal talks about hosting future Games beyond 2036, and the UK government said in May it is in "discussions about supporting potential bids" for the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s; the IOC noted the 2028 Games will be held in Los Angeles and Brisbane will stage the event in 2032.
