Baku has officially been named the World Sports Capital for 2026. At the end of last year, ACES Europe president Gian Francesco Lupatelli visited the Azerbaijani capital to present the commemorative plaque to mayor Eldar Azizov, formally handing over the title from Monaco, which held the status in 2025.
The designation reflects Baku’s consistent record of hosting major international competitions and implementing an ambitious sports policy. In recent years, the city has staged the Europa League final, matches at the UEFA European Championship, Formula 1 Grands Prix and numerous world championships across a range of disciplines. Large-scale events have become a regular feature of the capital’s calendar.
This year alone Baku will host the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the World Judo Championships, the European Volleyball Championship and several Gymnastics World Cup stages, among other tournaments.
Yet while Baku has repeatedly demonstrated high organisational standards, hosting events alone is not enough to mark a qualitative leap forward. Sustainable progress depends on infrastructure development, sports tourism strategy and cultivating a strong fan culture. In that respect, Melbourne provides a compelling case study.
The Australian city will stage 11 major international events this year. The first was the Australian Open, the season’s opening Grand Slam in tennis. The final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic drew 56,931 spectators, setting a new record for a championship weekend.
Sports tourism plays a central role in Melbourne’s model. According to the World Tourism Organization, around 10 per cent of global tourism expenditure is currently linked to sporting travel, with the market projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2032. Research by Stasher ranked Melbourne fourth globally for sports tourism in 2026.
Nine of the 18 Australian Football League clubs are based in the city, alongside professional teams in rugby, football, basketball and cricket. Soon, the Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the first-ever regular season NFL match played in Australia, with the Los Angeles Rams set to face the San Francisco 49ers.
Brendan McClements, chief executive of Visit Victoria, said such events reinforce Melbourne’s reputation as a global sporting capital and generate sustained tourism interest.
Infrastructure and transport are also key strengths. Stadiums are easily accessible and late-night travel poses little difficulty, with public transport operating reliably until midnight. Around Richmond station in central Melbourne, venues such as Rod Laver Arena, John Cain Arena and AAMI Park are clustered within walking distance, creating a compact and fan-friendly sporting precinct.
Melbourne’s success demonstrates that world-class event delivery must be supported by a strong local fan base, a coherent sports tourism strategy and accessible infrastructure. Baku has already proven its capability as a host city; the next step is to leverage international experience, such as Australia’s, to deepen and diversify its sporting ecosystem.
