MELBOURNE, April 12 — The Australian state of Victoria will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the government confirmed on Tuesday.

Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, was granted an exclusive negotiating period to secure hosting rights for the Games in February.

"It’s a great honour to have Victoria chosen as the host venue for the 2026 Commonwealth Games — we can’t wait

to welcome the world to all of our state,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement.

The quadrennial Games, a multi-sport gathering for mostly former British colonies, has struggled to remain relevant, with four of the last five editions held in Australia or Britain.

Outside Australia, no other nations or cities expressed interest in taking the vacant 2026 slot.

The Games will be spread across four regional hubs in the state, in the cities of Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland, creating a new multi-city model for the event, the Victoria government said.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee congratulated Victoria.

"Bringing the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria is fantastic news for New Zealand,” the NZOC said in a statement.

Australia most recently hosted the Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, with Melbourne hosting the 2006 edition.

The English city of Birmingham will host the 2022 edition from July 28-Aug. 8, after replacing South Africa who were stripped of them in 2017 over a lack of progress in their preparations. —Reuters