BRICS Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, PM Modi to Host Global Leaders in Delhi

New Delhi: India is all set to host the BRICS Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam on September 12-13. The national capital has been decorated with posters and light installations for the high-profile event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the summit, which will be attended by heads of state, foreign delegates, heads of international organizations, and representatives from member countries, partner countries and outreach invitees.

India will chair the 2026 edition of BRICS. The official theme for this year’s summit is ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’.

BRICS started with Brazil, Russia, India and China. The group held its first foreign ministers’ meeting in 2006 in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and its first summit in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

It became BRICS after South Africa joined in 2011. The group expanded further with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE joining as full members in January 2024 and Indonesia in January 2025.

Today, with 11 full members and several partner countries, BRICS has a major economic and diplomatic influence worldwide.

Key Leaders to Attend

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit. This will be his second visit to India in less than a year after the annual bilateral summit in New Delhi in December 2025. PM Modi had personally invited him during their meeting at the SCO Summit in Bishkek on August 31.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to attend, though China has not officially confirmed it yet. If he comes, it will be his first visit to India since the informal summit in Mamallapuram in 2019 with PM Modi.

Other leaders expected to attend include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and UN Chief Antonio Guterres.

Traffic and Schedule

Ahead of the summit, Delhi Police has identified over 35 roads where traffic will be controlled or diverted. The restrictions will mainly affect Central and South Delhi.

As per the itinerary, the summit will begin on Saturday, September 12 at Bharat Mandapam with the arrival of BRICS leaders, followed by a closed session titled ‘Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism’, ‘Bharat Innovates Exhibition’, family photo, tree plantation ceremony and a Gala Dinner hosted by PM Modi.