World Athletics announced on Tuesday that Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making Kenya the first African nation to stage track and field’s flagship international event. The capital city secured the hosting rights over competing bids from London, Munich, and Rome. The governing council simultaneously awarded the 2031 championships to Munich following an executive review session in Budapest.
The decision establishes a landmark breakthrough for the global athletics calendar.
Meeting in the Hungarian capital following the conclusion of the Ultimate Championships, the council concluded a competitive bidding process featuring four major European and African contenders. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe noted that selecting the destinations was difficult given the strength of the presentations. With Beijing already scheduled to host in 2027, the selections ensure the World Championships will rotate across three distinct continents, transitioning from Asia to Africa and then Europe.
Leadership emphasized that Kenya presented an airtight proposal backed by broad public enthusiasm. Coe stated during a press briefing that bringing the championships to African soil marks a profound historical milestone that aligns the right venue with proper institutional support. The former Olympic champion added that Nairobi demonstrated the organizational capacity to accelerate the development of athletics across the continent while creating an enduring sporting legacy.
Kenya converted past bidding lessons into technical improvements.
The East African nation had previously entered the bidding race for the 2025 edition without success before restructuring its approach. Nairobi had established its operational credentials by staging the World Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships in 2021, having previously hosted the 2010 African Athletics Championships and the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa.
A major asset in the winning proposal was the multi-million-dollar modernization of Kasarani Stadium. The national arena is currently undergoing extensive structural renovations to meet modern international standards ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament.
