When Durban was stripped of the Commonwealth Games due to financial difficulties in March of last year, few could have predicted that it would be Birmingham that would take its place.

The authority has often made headlines for the wrong reasons in recent years, most noticeably for its financial dealings, and many have been led to question whether the time is right for the cash-strapped city to be hosting such a momentous event.

But with the recent announcement of government funding for the 1,500-home Athletes Village and the promise from council leader Ian Ward of a half a billion pound boost to the local economy, excitement has started to build around what the Games will bring to the second city.

So what will it entail? How much will it cost? Where is it going to take place?

Here, we give you a detailed guide to what we know about Birmingham 2022 so far:

When is it?

The Games' opening ceremony is due to take place on July 27, 2022, with an 11-day event running until August 7. Both the opening and closing ceremonies will take place at the newly refurbished Alexander Stadium.

How much will it cost?

The exact cost of hosting the Games has not yet been confirmed, though Chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to give an indication as to the total cost when he delivers his Autumn budget later this month.

Initial estimates have placed the cost at £750 million, though this is likely to increase as the opening ceremony draws closer. The government has pledged to pay 75 per cent of the costs, and has already announced funding for the £165 million Athletes Village in Perry Barr.

Birmingham will be expected to cover the remaining costs, which at the time of writing is thought to be around £180 million. This will not just be taken from Birmingham City Council's budget, though, with a range of partners including three Local Enterprise Partnerships and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) also expected to contribute.

Several question marks have so far been raised about Birmingham's ability to pay for the Games, however. It was recently revealed that the council has spent £117 million in reserves just to stay afloat over the past two years, while it is expected to make cuts to its budget of £123 million over the next three years.

One recent report in the national media suggested that hosting the Games could bankrupt the city, though this is a claim which has been strongly denied by the council.

So where will the cash come from?

Two ideas have so far been mooted by the council to help raise funds, each of which is to be discussed with government in the near future.

One is a so-called hotel tax, which would place a levy on visitors to the city of roughly £1 per person, per night.

Another is an airport tax, which Cllr Ward explained at a recent event on the Games: "This is the possibility that everybody might pay a small sum, perhaps a pound, when they go through Birmingham Airport.

"Birmingham Airport currently has 13 million people going through it each and every year, so that would raise a substantial sum of money."

"But there’ll be an opportunity here for the government to pilot this tax in Birmingham, with all of the proceeds ring-fenced for investment in the Games. And then in 2022 we could jointly sit down and assess whether it had worked or not."

A CGI image of how the entire Commonwealth Games 2022 athletes village will look.
A CGI image of how the entire Commonwealth Games 2022 athletes village will look.

What teams will be competing?

There are expected to be 72 teams competing in the next Commonwealth Games, each of which is represented in some way in the city of Birmingham itself.

The countries and regions span five continents and are:

Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; Bahamas; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; Botswana; British Virgin Islands; Brunei; Cameroon; Canada; Cayman Islands Cook Islands; Cyprus; Dominica; England; Falkland Islands; Fiji; The Gambia; Ghana; Gibraltar; Grenada; Guernsey Guyana; India; Isle of Man; Jamaica; Jersey; Kenya; Kiribati; Lesotho; Malawi; Malaysia; Malta; Mauritius; Montserrat; Mozambique; Namibia; Nauru; New Zealand; Nigeria; Niue; Norfolk Island; Northern Ireland; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Rwanda; Saint Helena; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Scotland; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Solomon Islands; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Swaziland; Tanzania; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Wales and Zambia.

What sports will there be?

The Commonwealth Games consists of 20 compulsory sports which every host city must hold, as well as a range of optional sports held at the discretion of the host city.

The compulsory sports taking place in Birmingham 2022 are:

Aquatics (swimming), lawn bowls, aquatics (swimming - para), lawn bowls (para), athletics, netball (women), athletic (para), rugby sevens (men and women), badminton, squash, boxing, table tennis, cycling (road), triathlon, gymnastics (artistic), weightlifting, hockey (men and women), powerlifting (para), judo, wrestling (freestyle).

The Birmingham 2022 bid also included eight optional sports.

These were:

Aquatics (diving), gymnastics (rhythmic), basketball 3x3 (men and women), basketball wheelchair para 3x3 (men and women), cycling (mountain bike), cycling (track), triathlon (para) and cycling (track para).

In addition to these, organisers have confirmed that they are currently studying the possibility of holding even more events, with shooting being among those considered. A final decision on extra sports is expected by the end of next year.

A site formerly used by Birmingham City University in Perry Barr is being levelled and transformed into an athlete's village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 15/06/18

Where will the events be held?

So far 11 venues in the West Midlands have been confirmed as hosting at least one sporting event, while several others will act as hubs for cultural events.

ALEXANDER STADIUM - The newly refurbished 40,000 seat Alexander Stadium, which is expected to cost around £70 million to complete, will host various athletics events and the opening and closing ceremonies.

CENTENARY SQUARE - Centenary square will host part of the marathon.

SANDWELL AQUATICS CENTRE - The brand new state-of-the-art aquatics centre, which is expected to cost around £80 million, will hold all swimming and diving events.

ARENA BIRMINGHAM - The city centre arena will host the boxing and some gymnastics.

SYMPHONY HALL - This venue will also play host to gymnastic events, as well as cultural events throughout the Games.

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - The university will hold the hockey and squash events.

GENTING ARENA - The Genting Arena will also host some of the boxing, as well as badminton, table tennis, weight-lifting and wrestling. Gymnastics will also take place at the NEC.

ERICSSON INDOOR ARENA - The arena, at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, will host the netball.

VILLA PARK - The rugby sevens events will be held at the home of Aston Villa.

SUTTON PARK - The triathlon will take place at Sutton Park.

In addition to these the HYATT REGENCY HOTEL,VICTORIA SQUARE and the ICC are just some of the other venues that will play host to important cultural and technical events throughout the Games.

Notable by its absence from the above list is a venue for hosting the track cycling events. This is because track cycling for the 2022 Games is set to be held at the LEA VALLEY VELOPARK in Stratford, East London, a venue originally built for the 2012 Olympics.

There have been several campaigns to have a velodrome built in the West Midlands in time for the Games, and FoI requests have shown that no feasibility study into this possibility was ever conducted.

However, with high-profile figures such as mayor Andy Street and Cllr Ian Ward publicly saying they do not back the case for a velodrome in the region, it appears that this is a lost cause.

Who will be running the Games?

The Games will be run by the Birmingham Organising Committee, a 14-person panel each with equal voting rights.

This will include: A chairperson; CEO; two national/federal government nominees; two host city nominees including the BCC leader; two CGE nominees; two CGF nominees and four non-executive directors.

According to the Commonwealth Games website "the committee will be responsible for the planning and operational delivery of the Games. This includes sport, venue and competition management, ticket sales, all ceremonies and the Queen’s Baton Relay".

The committee is expected to meet at least six times a year in the lead up to the Games, providing reports to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) as they go. It is also subject to the same established rules for public finances and public appointments, as well as the UK’s Code for Sports Governance.

Read all about it! The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will bring a focus on the city's sporting activities in the next four years - here young people are pictured reading a special Birmingham Mail supplement
Young people reading a special Birmingham Mail supplement aboout the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Key timeline of events

2018

  • Planning approval for the Athletes Village
  • Detailed project and workstream plans
  • A contribution to the Organising Committee's four-year budget announced (expected in the Chancellor's Autumn statement).

2019

  • Planning approval for Sandwell Aquatics Centre
  • Planning approval for Alexander Stadium

2020

  • Games legislation enacted
  • Perry Barr highway improvements commence construction

2021

  • Alexander Stadium construction complete
  • Sandwell Aquatics Centre construction complete

2022

  • Athlete’s Village construction complete
  • Completion of transport capital projects
  • Business Expo
  • Opening Ceremony (July 27)
  • Commonwealth Games (July 28 to August 6)
  • Closing Ceremony (August 7)