Kylie Masse and Josh Liendo will head at team of 12 swimmers selected by Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) and Swimming Canada for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, scheduled for July 23-August (pool action July 24-29).

Among notable absentees are three-times Olympic champion Summer McIntosh and Paris 2024 double bronze medallist Ilya Kharun. Canada's team size for Glasgow reflects the reality of the Commonwealth Games, which has been scaled down in response to the challenges, including costs, of keeping the event alive.

The plan for Games to come includes a more affordable, and flexible, hosting model, which involves multiple cities or countries co-hosting, using existing venues as part of a sustainability pledge. Glasgow is hosting the 2026 Games under the new model after Victoria, Australia, withdrew due to rising costs.

Masse boasts five Olympic medals in her pantheon: She claimed two silvers and a bronze at Tokyo2020ne, as runner-up in the 100 and 200m backstroke and third home with teammates in the women's 4x100m medley. That was the follow-up to bronze in the 100m back at Rio 2016, while Masse added bronze in the 200m back at Paris 2024.

At the Commonwealths, Masse has amassed three golds and six silvers. Her victories cover all three backstroke events: the 100 and 200m at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, and the 50m at the 2022 Birmingham follow-up.

Liendo, Olympic 100m butterfly silver medallist at his second Games, in Paris last year, won the Commonwealth 100m butterfly in Birmingham and will arrive in Glasgow a defender with a growing reputation in the club of blokes to beat. His tally in Birmingham also included three bronze medals, in the 50 free, men’s 4x100 free and mixed 4x100 free. Last week at home in Toronto, he became the first black swimmer ever to hold the World 100m butterfly short-course record:

Liendo 1st Black Swimmer & 2nd Canadian Since Gery in 1990 To Claim S/C 100 ′ Fly World Record

At the home and last round of the 2025 World Cup in Toronto, Josh Liendo goes 10.26sec, 22.28 at half-way & is still 0.2 shy of Swiss ace Noe Ponti’s WR pace at the last turn. He then nails a 12.86 homecomer for his first World mark as 11th Canadian man to hold a world swim record

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

The Games are the only multi-sports event that combines swimming and para-swimming. Team Canada will add more swimmers to its squad after invitations for the Paralympic Program are issued by World Para Swimming (WPS) no later than March 21 next year.

Swimming Canada reports:
 
The team named for the 2026 Commonwealth Games features 12 swimmers (six men, six women) with a mix of experience from veteran Commonwealth and Olympic medallists to first-time national team members.

Masse is one of four Olympians on the women’s team. She will be joined by Paris 2024 teammates Ella Jansen, Sophie Angus and Julie Brousseau.

Madison Kryger, who made her senior team debut at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, and rookie Delia Lloyd round out the women’s roster. Masse was a standout at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, winning the 50-m backstroke and taking silver in the 100 and 200.

She and Angus were also part of silver medals in the women’s and mixed 4x100-m medley relays. Jansen, meanwhile, made her national team debut in Birmingham, contributing to relay silver in the women’s 4x200-m freestyle and bronze in the mixed 4x100-m free. Angus said:

“Competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games was an incredible experience. It was my first summer with the national team, my first international medals, and my first time living in an athletes’ village. I’m really looking forward to the 2026 Games. With a great mix of veterans and rookies on the team, I’m excited for fast swimming and the opportunity to make Canadians proud in Glasgow.”

On the men’s side, Olympic Liendo and Paris 2024 teammate Lorne Wigginton will be joined by Oliver Dawson and Antoine Sauve, each with national team experience under their belts. Meanwhile, Benjamin Loewen and Ben Winterborn will be making the jump to their first senior team.
 
Masse, Liendo and Dawson were all part of Canada’s bronze medal in the 4x100 medley relay at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore earlier this year.

Dawson Heading Home From Home For Commonwealth Debut

Dawson is 17, and will take his first senior international experience with him when he heads to Glasgow for his Commonwealth debut back on the island where he was born. He said:

“Being able to compete at that meet allowed me to put myself up against some of the best in the world. It was a real fun meet to be a part of with great results I am proud of especially standing on the podium with some of the most notable Canadian swimmers ever."

A member of the Grande Prairie (Alta.) Piranhas club, Dawson was born in Leicester, England, and has plenty of family in the U.K. He said: “Going into Commonwealth Games, I am once again looking forward to representing Canada and moving forward with my goals, especially when my family will be there watching."

Swimming Canada National Coach Lead, Olympic Program, Mark Perry will serve as the team’s head coach, with University of Toronto Assistant Coach Linda Kiefer rounding out the coaching staff. Both have extensive Olympic experience. 

Swimming Canada High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson noted: “We have experience along with new first time senior team members who will represent Canada very well in Glasgow." He added:

“It is great to have Mark and Linda named to lead our coaching into Glasgow, and work with the athletes and personal coaches to have our swimmers best prepared. We look forward to a great Games racing opportunity in Glasgow, and will work with the athletes on their individual event schedules and consider the potential of which relays will be entered.”

Kelly Laframboise, Director, Team Canada 2026, said:

“I’m thrilled to welcome both seasoned athletes and first-time competitors representing Canada at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Their dedication, passion, and perseverance inspire us all, and I couldn’t be prouder to cheer them on as they showcase the very best of Canadian spirit on the world stage.”

The team will go direct to Glasgow and race at the Games from July 24 to 29 at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, scene of two previous Commonwealth swimming battles.

As Swimming Canada notes, the Games are the only multi-sport event that features equal standing for sport and Para-sport events. Several Paralympic Program swimmers are expected to round out the team after invitations for the Paralympic Program are issued directly by World Para Swimming (WPS).
 
“It was so special to be part of such an important moment in Canadian sport history, and I love that the Commonwealth Games bring us together with Paralympic Program athletes in one team environment,” said Angus.

 Invitations will be received from WPS no later than March 21, 2026, and Swimming Canada will have seven days to confirm acceptance. The full team will be announced following this deadline.
 
Glasgow 2026 will include 10 sports, including six Para sports. Up to 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories from across the Commonwealth will compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games over 11 days of competition across the city of Glasgow. 

 
SWIMMERS - Glasgow 2026 - POOL 

 
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State Of Swimming +Craig Lord