Commonwealth Games 2022: How to watch Team England, preview, schedule & stars

The four-year-long wait is over: the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are here.

The quadrennial multi-sport extravaganza, held this year in England's West Midlands, is set to run from 28 July to 8 August and will involve 72 nations and territories competing in 19 different sports.

Unlike at the Olympic Games where the nations that make up Great Britain compete under one flag, for the Commonwealth Games they split up into constituent parts meaning England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey all compete separately.

As host nation the spotlight will naturally fall on Team England and with over 400 athletes selected to represent the Saint George's Cross they will all be hoping they can harness the might of home advantage as they bid for Commonwealth glory.

Here, Olympics.com runs the rule over the English stars expected to achieve big things at Birmingham 2022. Sprint star Dina Asher-Smith was forced to pull out with a light hamstring strain.

READ: Commonwealth Games 2022: Preview, schedule, how to watch the stars in action

Adam Peaty

Having fractured his foot at the start of June it is has been a less than ideal build-up to these year’s Commonwealth Games for triple Olympic champion Adam Peaty.

But the 27-year-old swimmer insists he is back, fit and ready as ever.

Set to appear in four events at the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham there will be plenty of opportunity for the swimming superstar to get the home nation singing.

Be sure to look out for Peaty in the men’s 50m breaststroke event. To date, it is the one title that has alluded the man from Staffordshire, and he is all too ready to make it his own.

Adam Peaty: Schedule for Commonwealth Games 2022

• Saturday 30 July - men's 100m breaststroke heats and semi-finals
• Sunday 31 July – men's 100m breaststroke final
• Monday 1 August – men's 50m breaststroke heats and semi-finals
• Tuesday 2 August – men's 50m breaststroke heats and semi-finals and mixed 4x100 medley relay heats and final
• Wednesday 3 August – men's 4x100m medley relay heats and final

Alex Yee

Tokyo 2020 in 2021 was a breakthrough moment for England’s Alex Yee who left the Games in Japan with a gold and silver medal in mixed and individual triathlon respectively.

The 23-year-old was one of the first names announced for Birmingham 2022 and promisingly for the home team he is down again to compete in the races that saw him victorious in Tokyo.

Keep an eye out for a possible tussle between Yee and Olympic bronze medallist Hayden Wilde of New Zealand in the men’s individual race. The two are familiar with doing battle with each other and Birmingham will be no exception.

Alex Yee: Schedule for Commonwealth Games 2022

• Friday 29 July – men's individual final
• Sunday 31 July – mixed relay team final

MORE: Commonwealth Games 2022: Preview, schedule, how to watch the global stars in action

Laura Kenny 

Five-time Olympic track cycling gold medallist Laura Kenny is set to return to where it all started as she bids for even more sporting glory at Birmingham 2022. 

The track cycling events will be taking place away from the West Midlands city at the Lee Valley VeloPark, home of all the track cycling events for London 2012. It was there 30-year-old picked up her first two Olympic golds before later going on to become Britain’s most successful female Olympian at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.  

Kenny will participate in three races in total providing her the chance to grow her current Commonwealth medal collection which stands at just one gold from at Glasgow 2014. After competing at the world championships in 2018 Kenny, and her husband Jason Kenny – the most successful British Olympian ever – both opted out of the Games on the Gold Coast.  

Laura Kenny: Schedule for Commonwealth Games 2022 

• Friday 29 July – women's 4000m team pursuit qualification and final 
• Sunday 31 July – women's 25km points race qualification and final 
• Monday 1 August – women's 10km scratch race qualification and final

Matty Lee 

Fronting an 18-strong diving squad that includes Olympic medallists Jack Laugher and Daniel Goodfellow will be 24-year-old Matty Lee. 

Last year Lee became a household name when he, and partner Tom Daley, clinched gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the men’s synchronised platform event. It kickstarted something of a thrilling 12 months for the man from Leeds who later took silver in the same event at the FINA World Championships in Budapest last month with new partner Noah Williams.  

Lee heads to Birmingham hunting his first piece of Commonwealth silverware after missing out on Glasgow 2014 and competing in 2018 with an injury.  

Matty Lee: Schedule for Commonwealth Games 2022

• Friday 5 August – men's 10m platform final 
• Sunday 7 August – men's 10m platform preliminary and final

Katarina Johnson-Thompson 

Joining Asher-Smith in leading England’s athletics medal hopes will be reigning Commonwealth Games champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson who will be out to defend her heptathlon title. 

The 29-year-old has been through some tough injuries since recording her win on the Gold Coast four years ago. Last year at the Olympic Games she recovered from an Achilles' rupture only to be forced out of the competition with a calf injury. 

Though Johnson-Thompson finished in eighth at the recent World Athletic championships in Oregon losing her title to Nafissatou Thiam the Liverpudlian is optimistic about her chances of recapturing her crown in Birmingham. 

Katarina Johnson-Thompson: Schedule for Commonwealth Games 2022

• Tuesday 2 August - women's heptathlon 100m hurdles; women's heptathlon high jump; women's heptathlon shot put; women's heptathlon 200m
• Wednesday 3 August - women's heptathlon long jump; women's heptathlon javelin; women's heptathlon 800m

Tom Dean 

If England are looking for a home rivalry to get behind at Birmingham 2022, then they should look no further than double Olympic champion Tom Dean. 

At Tokyo 2020, the 22-year-old took gold in the men’s 200m freestyle ahead of Duncan Scott who finished just 0.04 seconds behind him to claim the silver. Together, they became the first British pair to feature on an Olympic swimming podium in more than 100 years. 

At this year’s Commonwealth Games, however, Dean and Scott won’t be on the same team. Scott will suit up for Scotland. 

Set to clash a total of six times at the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre just who will come out on top will certainly be a point of intrigue and definitely one to watch.  

Tom Dean: Schedule for Commonwealth Games 2022 

• Friday 29 July – mixed 4x100m freestyle relay heats and final 
• Saturday 30 July – men's 200m freestyle heats and final; men’s 4x100m freestyle relay heats and final 
• Sunday 31 July – men's 100m freestyle heats and semi-finals 
• Monday 1 August – men’s 4x200m freestyle heats and final; men's 100m freestyle final 
• Wednesday 3 August – men's 200m individual medley heats and final

Maddie Hinch 

Olympic and European gold medallist hockey goal keeper Maddie Hinch is one of the best in the business. 

The 33-year-old returns for her third Commonwealth tilt at Birmingham 2022 and on the agenda for Hinch will be upgrading her bronze (Gold Coast 2018) and silver (Glasgow 2014) medals to gold.  

The competition for Hinch and the team will be fierce. 2018 silver medallists Australia just picked up a bronze earlier this month the FIH Hockey Women’s World Championships to finish highest amongst all Commonwealth countries competing.  

There will also be considerable challenges from reigning champions New Zealand and Team India.  

England women's hockey team: Schedule for Commonwealth Games 2022

• Friday 29 July - England v Ghana
• Sunday 31 July - England v Canada
• Tuesday 2 August - England v India
• Thursday 4 August - England v Wales
• Friday 5 August - women's hockey semi-finals
• Saturday 7 August - women's gold and bronze medal matches

How to watch Team England at Commonwealth Games 2022 

UK: BBC TV, Radio, iPlayer 

Canada: CBC Sports, CBC Sports app 

Australia: Channel 7, 7Plus 

New Zealand: Sky, TVNZ 

India: Sony LIV 

Further streaming details to be released on the Commonwealth Games website.