Kenya has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making Nairobi the first African city to stage the global competition.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe announced the decision in Budapest on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, after Nairobi beat competing bids from London and Rome. Munich was selected to host the 2031 edition.
Kenya had previously failed in its bid to host the 2025 World Championships, which were awarded to Tokyo, partly because of shortcomings in its sporting infrastructure. Officials said lessons from that bid informed improvements to Nairobi’s facilities and planning.
The 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium is undergoing a major structural upgrade and will also be used when Kenya co-hosts the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Tanzania and Uganda.
Coe described Kenya’s bid as “compelling and emotional”, citing the country’s athletics heritage and its contribution to middle- and long-distance running. Kenya is the second-most successful country in World Championships history, with 72 gold medals, behind the United States.
President William Ruto described the successful bid as a victory for generations of Kenyan athletes and pledged that the country would deliver an event worthy of Africa. His government provided financial and security guarantees as part of the bid.
Kenya estimates that the Government will contribute about $78 million (£58.5 million) towards staging the championships, alongside sponsorship funding.
The country will now spend the next three years preparing transport, security, ticketing and other infrastructure for the 2029 championships. Organisers will also face scrutiny over crowd management following overcrowding incidents at Kasarani Stadium during previous football matches.
Kenya has previously hosted major athletics competitions, including the 2017 World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, while Mombasa has hosted the World Cross Country Championships. The 2029 event will mark a significant expansion of the World Athletics Championships into Africa.