Seven Countries, From India and Qatar to Germany and South Africa, Are Now in the Race for the 2036 Olympics

The contest to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics now has a field and a calendar. The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday that seven countries are in what it calls "continuous dialogue" about hosting: Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa and Türkiye.

Who wants the Games

India and Qatar have long been seen as favored candidates, the Associated Press reported. India sent the IOC a letter of intent in October 2024, and Qatar announced a bid built around Doha in July 2025, according to NBC Sports. Germany said on Sept. 26 that it plans to bid with Munich, which hosted in 1972, for 2036, 2040 or 2044.

Several of the contenders would be first-time hosts. NBC Sports noted that India, Qatar, Hungary and Türkiye have never held an Olympics, and that South Africa could bring the Games to Africa for the first time. Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg have all expressed interest there. South Korea hosted the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul and the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang. Hungary, NBC added, has won more Olympic medals than any nation that has yet to host.

The road to a decision

Along with the list, the IOC published a handbook laying out how the host will be chosen. The steps, according to the IOC:

• Oct. 31, 2026: the last day any other country can join the 2036 race.
• November 2026: the contenders give virtual presentations to the IOC's Future Host Commission.
• March 2027: after feasibility assessments, the IOC Executive Board shortlists contenders for a more detailed "strategic dialogue."
• December 2028: preferred hosts are invited into a final "targeted dialogue."
• Mid-2029: IOC members elect the host.

That timetable marks a shift. Under reforms in recent years, the IOC could steer toward a single preferred candidate rather than holding a full race, and Brisbane was named the 2032 host in 2021, more than a decade ahead. The AP described the 2029 contested vote as a return to the IOC's long-standing practice of picking a Summer Games host about seven years out. The IOC said the new middle stage is meant to let would-be hosts develop their plans more cheaply and with more certainty.

The IOC also said other national Olympic committees are in noncommittal talks about hosting Games beyond 2036. Before then, the Summer Olympics go to Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.