Commonwealth Games 2026: Taste the World — The Ultimate World Candy Guide for Glasgow 2026
Commonwealth Games 2026: Taste the World — The Ultimate World Candy Guide for Glasgow 2026
The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games runs from 23 July to 2 August — bringing 74 nations and territories to Scotland for ten days of world-class sport. With athletes from Australia, Canada, Japan, India, New Zealand, Jamaica, and dozens more Commonwealth nations competing in Glasgow, it's the most international sporting event to hit the UK since Birmingham 2022.Sweet and Glory stocks one of the widest ranges of world imported confectionery available in UK wholesale — British classics, Australian chocolate, Japanese candy, Canadian sweets, and the full American range. This guide takes you nation by nation through the world candy selection, with a retailer stocking guide at the end.
The Games run immediately after the FIFA World Cup ends (19 July), meaning July 2026 is the biggest international sports month of the year. For the full summer candy picture, see our American summer sweets guide.
🇬🇧 Team Great Britain and the Home Nations
The Commonwealth Games is unique — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland compete under their own flags. With Glasgow as the host city, Team Scotland carries enormous home support. Sweet and Glory stocks a strong range of British brands, with several carrying a distinctively Scottish identity.Buchanan's — Scottish Toffee and Iron Brew
Buchanan's is a traditional Scottish confectionery brand covering butter toffee, treacle toffee, liquorice toffee, vanilla fudge, mint crumbles, buttermints, chocolate caramels, chocolate peppermint creams, chocolate dipped fudge, and chocolate ginger creams.The Glasgow angle: Buchanan's Iron Brew Humbugs and Iron Brew Pastilles are the standout products for any Glasgow 2026 display. Irn-Bru is Scotland's unofficial national drink and Buchanan's translate that iconic flavour into classic sweet formats. These are genuinely Scottish products that no other wholesale supplier stocks — a perfect 'Support Team Scotland' display anchor.
Millions — A British Sweet Institution
Millions are tiny, intensely flavoured chewy sweets available in multiple formats — 2.27kg counter jars, 55g tubes, Squishies (130g), and Jelly Babies (150g). Flavours cover Blackcurrant Buzz, Cola, Apple, Vimto, Banana, Strawberry, Raspberry, Bubblegum, Watermelon, and Iron Brew. The Iron Brew flavour alongside Buchanan's creates a strong Scottish-themed display for Glasgow 2026.Vimto — Made in Manchester
Vimto was created in Manchester in 1908 — making it one of Sweet and Glory's most local brands. The Vimto confectionery range brings the iconic grape-blackcurrant-raspberry flavour into novelty formats: Seriously Big Spray (60ml), Roller Licker (60ml), Double Spray (12ml), and Candy Floss (30g). A genuinely British brand with strong national recognition and a Manchester provenance that matters to Sweet and Glory as a Manchester-based business.Chewits, Candy Kittens and Shades by Niko
Chewits have been a British confectionery staple since 1965 — sold in stick packs and bags. The modern range covers Cola, Strawberry, Fruit Salad, Blue Raspberry and Cherry stick packs (30g), Juicy Bites bags (115g), Xtreme Sour Bites and Chews, and Jewels formats (125g). Strong impulse shelf lines for any British sweets section. Candy Kittens are the premium British gummy brand — vegan, natural colours, sophisticated flavours: Loves, Very Cherry, Shox Sour, Wanderlust, Eton Mess, Sour Watermelon, Wild Strawberry. Shades by Niko are the fastest-growing British gummy brand — 10 million packs sold in 2025, outpacing Haribo Starmix. The World Cup limited edition range (50 hidden football sweets, £50,000 prize fund) runs through July — perfectly timed for the Commonwealth Games. All L-coded.Tango, Slush Puppie, Brain Licker and Rose Confectionery
Rose Confectionery and Hannah's produce some of Britain's most recognisable novelty candy brands.Tango: Mini Shockers, Popping Candy (1.2kg bulk), Shockers (Blue Raspberry, Orange, Apple, Cherry), Bon Bons, Freeze Dried Balls, Giant Spray, Rolly, Chewbies, and Mini Belters. The Tango Popping Candy bulk bag and Freeze Dried Balls are the standout summer formats.
Slush Puppie: Squeeze Pops, Rock Wand Blue Raspberry, Freeze Dried Balls, Bon Bons, and Super Spray. Slush Puppie is a quintessentially British summer brand — the freeze dried balls in particular are a strong TikTok content product.
Brain Licker / Hannah's: Brain Licker Original (60ml), Brain Licker Black (60ml), and Lickedy Lips (60ml). The iconic roller ball sour liquid candy that has been a British playground obsession for decades. A summer display staple.
🇮🇪 Northern Ireland and Ireland — Guinness and Baileys Chocolate
Northern Ireland competes as its own team at the Commonwealth Games. Ireland's most iconic brands translate beautifully into chocolate via Lir Chocolates. The Guinness and Baileys chocolate ranges are some of the most distinctive gifting products in the Sweet and Glory range.Guinness Chocolate: Mini Pints (82g), Caramel Bar (90g), Truffles (135g), Can (125g), Mini Caramels (102g). The Mini Pints are pint glass-shaped chocolates — instantly recognisable and a natural display centrepiece for any Irish-themed section.
Baileys Chocolate: Original Bar, Salted Caramel Bar, Original Truffles, Mint Truffles, Birthday Cake Truffles, Strawberry & Cream Truffles, Mini Delights. See our World Chocolate Day guide for the full range.
🇦🇺 Australia — Caramello Koalas and Violet Crumble
Australia has competed at every Commonwealth Games since 1930. Australian confectionery is defined by a love of caramel chocolate — and the Australian Cadbury range reflects that perfectly. Note: specific Australian product availability may vary by shipment — check current stock before building your display.Caramello Koala: The iconic Australian chocolate — koala-shaped milk chocolate with a liquid caramel centre. Available in individual bars and sharepacks. Instantly recognisable to any Australian and genuinely delicious for first-time tasters.
Cherry Ripe: Australia's most popular chocolate bar — dark chocolate with cherry and coconut filling. The combination has no British equivalent and is one of the most distinctive Australian confectionery products available in the UK.
Freddo Milky Top and Strawberry Freddo: The Australian Freddo bars are made to a different recipe from the UK version and not available in UK supermarkets.
Violet Crumble: Honeycomb toffee coated in chocolate — lighter and more brittle than a Crunchie, with a distinctively Australian flavour.
For the full Australian range, see our Australian sweets wholesale guide.
🇯🇵 Japan — The World's Most Creative Candy Nation
Japan brings some of the most inventive confectionery in the world to Glasgow 2026. Japanese candy culture is built on unusual flavours, interactive formats, and exceptional quality. Note: specific Japanese product availability may vary by shipment.Hi-Chew — Japan's Most Popular Export Candy
Hi-Chew is the defining Japanese candy for UK consumers — intensely fruit-flavoured soft chews with a clean, fresh taste unlike any British or American candy. The range covers Banana, Grape, Strawberry, Green Apple, Watermelon, Mango, Acai, Sweet & Sour Mix, Superfruit Mix, Tropical, Soda Pop, Fantasy Mix, and Infrusions Orchard Mix.Pocky, Meiji and Ramune
Pocky biscuit sticks in Chocolate, Strawberry, Almond Crush, and Matcha are Japan's most recognised confectionery export. Meiji Hello Panda (Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Caramel, Pretzel, Cookies & Cream), Yan Yan dipping sticks, Chocorooms, and Poifull jelly beans bring the full breadth of Japanese confectionery culture to a world candy display.HATA Ramune in the iconic marble-sealed bottle is the most interactive product in the range — the marble must be pushed down to open the bottle. Available in 19 flavours.
The Kawaji anime sodas — Dragon Ball Z and Hatsune Miku flavours — and the Royal Family Mochi range (Matcha, Coconut, Salted Caramel, Strawberry Cheesecake, and more) complete a Japanese candy section that stops customers in their tracks.
For the full Japanese range, see our Japanese candy wholesale guide.
🇨🇦 Canada — Coffee Crisp and Wunderbar
Canada co-hosted the FIFA World Cup and competes strongly at Glasgow 2026. Coffee Crisp — vanilla wafer with coffee cream coated in chocolate — is Canada's most iconic bar and genuinely unavailable in UK supermarkets. Wunderbar — peanut butter, caramel, and peanuts in chocolate — is the Canadian answer to Reese's, with a chewier, more substantial texture. Together they give any world candy display a distinct Canadian identity. See our Canadian candy wholesale guide for the full range.🇺🇸 USA — The World's Candy Superpower
The US is not a Commonwealth member but American candy dominates the imported sweets market. With the FIFA World Cup co-hosted in America ending just days before the Games begin, American candy has strong seasonal momentum throughout July. Reese's, Hershey's, Sour Patch Kids, Warheads, Nerds, Arizona Iced Tea, and Calypso are the anchor products. See our most popular American sweets guide and our World Cup blog for the full American summer selection.For Retailers: Building a World Candy Display for Glasgow 2026
The Commonwealth Games runs for ten days with guaranteed TV coverage. A world candy display structured by nation is one of the most effective retail concepts of the summer — customers browse by country and buy out of curiosity.Structure by nation with flags. Six sections — UK/Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Japan, Canada, America — each with a small flag and two or three hero products. The visual impact is far stronger than a generic pick n mix display.
Lead with Scotland. Buchanan's Iron Brew Humbugs, Millions Iron Brew, and Shades by Niko at the front with Scottish flag imagery. The home crowd connection is immediate and local. No other wholesale supplier can offer this combination.
Use interactive products to create dwell time. HATA Ramune marble bottles, Brain Licker roller format, Tango Freeze Dried Balls, and Shades by Niko's hidden football sweet mechanic all give customers a reason to stop and engage.
Timing. Launch 23 July. Close 2 August. Transition directly into a Back to School display from the first week of August.
For the full seasonal guide, see our seasonal sweet shop calendar. For American candy section advice, see our American candy section guide.
