Seven countries are in talks with the International Olympic Committee about hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, and five of them are G20 members. Germany, India, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Türkiye are on the list, alongside Hungary and Qatar. This month each is presenting its project to the IOC’s Future Host Commission.
For governments and companies that follow the summits, the race is a long-running test of national ambition, public finance and international standing. A Games commitment shapes infrastructure, transport and hospitality investment for a decade or more.
The field is now closed
The IOC set out the next steps on October 6, 2026, when it published a handbook for potential hosts. It said no other interested parties would be considered for 2036 after October 31, 2026. The seven countries already in what the IOC calls Continuous Dialogue were invited to make virtual presentations to the Future Host Commission in November.
The process was approved by the IOC Executive Board and endorsed by the 146th IOC Session in Lausanne in June 2026, as part of the Olympic Movement’s “Fit for the Future” reforms. It adds a new transitional stage to the dialogue approach the IOC introduced in 2019.
The timeline to 2029
The IOC plans feasibility assessments of the projects by March 2027. That month, the Executive Board is due to shortlist interested parties and move them into a new Strategic Dialogue. During that stage they will give an initial response to the Future Host Questionnaire and provide core legal and financial guarantees, and the Future Host Commission will visit the proposed host regions.
In December 2028 the Executive Board will open a Targeted Dialogue with a smaller group of Preferred Hosts, who will provide final responses and a full set of guarantees. IOC members are expected to elect the 2036 host at the IOC Session in mid-2029.
What the IOC will weigh
Projects will be judged on technical factors, including the venue masterplan and athlete experience, funding strategy, political and public support, delivery capability and legacy plans. The IOC will also look at each bid’s vision and how well it fits local development plans and the goals of the Olympic Movement.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said that for every future host “athletes have to be at the heart of everything we do.” The IOC also pointed to Paris 2024 as an example of what hosting can bring, citing an estimated net contribution of 9 to 11 billion euros to the Île-de-France economy by 2034.
The 2036 contest follows a busy period for summer hosting. The next Summer Games are LA28 in Los Angeles, and the IOC notes that a number of other national Olympic committees are in noncommittal talks about Games beyond 2036.
