For four days next week, the centre of global diplomacy shifts to a conference hall in Pragati Maidan. India is hosting the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit, and it arrives at an unusually loaded moment — twenty years after the grouping was founded, and the first full leaders' meeting since it doubled in size.
For most people in Delhi, the summit will register first as closed schools and blocked roads. But what happens inside Bharat Mandapam is worth understanding too, because the agenda touches trade routes, payment systems and who gets a seat at the institutions that run the global economy.
BRICS Summit 2026 Dates and Venue
The leaders' meeting runs across two days, September 12 and 13, at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi — the same complex that hosted the G20 leaders in 2023.
The day before, September 11, belongs to the BRICS Business Forum at the same venue, alongside a session of the Women's Business Alliance. That is the day Delhi has been asked to stay home, which we come to below.
| Event | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| BRICS Business Forum & Women's Business Alliance | September 11, 2026 | Bharat Mandapam |
| 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit | September 12–13, 2026 | Bharat Mandapam |
| Delhi schools & government offices closed | September 11, 2026 | Across Delhi |
India's Chairship and the 2026 Theme
India took over the BRICS chairship on January 1, 2026, its fourth turn after 2012, 2016 and 2021. The theme for this cycle is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", carrying the broader message of "Humanity First".
The summit is not a standalone event. Over the year, India has run more than 350 BRICS-related meetings and engagements across over 25 cities. Next week is where a year of sherpa-level work either produces a joint declaration or does not.
Who Is In BRICS Now?
This is the part that trips people up, because the acronym stopped describing the membership some years ago. There are now 11 full members: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia joined as a full member in 2025.
Sitting alongside them are 10 partner countries — Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Partners take part in the wider framework but are not full members, and the distinction matters when a declaration has to be agreed by consensus.
Which Leaders Are Coming
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts. Russian President Vladimir Putin's attendance is confirmed. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected — and if he travels, it would be his first visit to India since the 2019 informal meeting with Modi at Mamallapuram. Any Modi–Xi bilateral on the sidelines will probably generate more headlines than the summit itself.
Also expected: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto, Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed, Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim and Thailand's Anutin Charnvirakul. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected to take part, subject to formal confirmation.
What Is Actually On the Agenda
BRICS works across three pillars — political and security matters, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchange. The 2026 discussions are expected to cover:
- Resilient global supply chains and trade
- Cross-border payment systems and greater use of national currencies
- MSME development and digital trade
- Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
- Energy security and climate resilience
- Development finance and expansion of the New Development Bank
- Reform of multilateral financial and political institutions
The payments and national-currencies item is the one to watch. It is the piece of the BRICS agenda that draws the sharpest reaction from Washington, and the one member states themselves are least aligned on.
A joint Leaders' Declaration is expected at the end, though as always that is subject to consensus among 11 governments with genuinely different interests.
Delhi: Holidays, Traffic and What to Expect
Friday, September 11 is the big disruption day. The Directorate of Education has directed schools across the capital to remain closed. Central government offices in Delhi will be shut, and the Delhi government has declared a holiday for its own offices, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings.
On the roads, Delhi Traffic Police has been running motorcade rehearsals. More than 35 roads may come under regulation, with 22 diversion points identified. Sardar Patel Marg, Janpath, Akbar Road, Mathura Road, Lodhi Road, Mandi House and Dhaula Kuan are all in the plan.
Worth noting: these roads are not shut all day. Most restrictions are tied to convoy movements, so traffic is stopped or diverted while a motorcade passes and then resumes. The practical effect is unpredictability — a thirty-minute drive through central Delhi could take considerably longer with no warning.
If you are heading to Indira Gandhi International Airport, or to New Delhi, Old Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between September 11 and 13, leave far earlier than usual and take the Metro where you can. This applies just as much if you are going to receive someone.
Why This Summit Matters
Twenty years in, BRICS has gone from an investment-bank acronym to an eleven-country bloc with its own development bank. What it has not settled is what it wants to be: a genuine alternative architecture, or a negotiating caucus for the Global South inside the existing one.
India's position has generally leaned towards the second — reform the institutions rather than replace them — and hosting gives New Delhi the pen on the declaration. That, plus the bilaterals with Moscow and possibly Beijing, is the real business of next week.
For more context on how India's global standing is measured, see our look at the top 10 most powerful countries in 2026 and our explainer on China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Details here are compiled from official announcements and news reports published up to September 8, 2026. Attendance and schedules can change; the official chairship portal at brics2026.gov.in carries the confirmed programme.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the BRICS Summit 2026?
The 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit is on September 12 and 13, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The BRICS Business Forum is held at the same venue on September 11.
How many countries are in BRICS in 2026?
Eleven full members: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Ten partner countries also take part in the wider framework.
Which leaders are attending the BRICS Summit 2026?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts. Vladimir Putin is confirmed and Xi Jinping is expected, which would be his first India visit since 2019. Cyril Ramaphosa, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Prabowo Subianto, Masoud Pezeshkian and Abiy Ahmed are also expected, along with UN Secretary-General António Guterres subject to confirmation.
Is September 11 a holiday in Delhi because of the BRICS Summit?
Schools across Delhi have been directed to remain closed on Friday, September 11. Central government offices in Delhi will also be shut, and the Delhi government has declared it a holiday for its offices, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings.
What is India's theme for its BRICS chairship?
"Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", reflecting the broader message of "Humanity First".