Baku

Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on the shores of the Caspian Sea, is the World Capital of Sport 2026. It received the commemorative plaque at a ceremony in the city's Town Hall in December 2025, in a direct handover from Monaco, the 2025 world capital. The distinction recognises a long record of hosting major events: Baku staged the inaugural European Games in 2015, has hosted world and European championships across multiple sports, and has held the Azerbaijan Formula 1 Grand Prix since 2017. With more than two hundred sports facilities built across the country, the city enters 2026 with a packed international calendar — global forums, world championships and Formula 1 itself — and a focus on inclusion: authorities note that women already make up around 40% of athletes at major competitions, alongside youth, social-inclusion and volunteer programmes.