Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making Kenya the first African country to stage the sport’s premier global competition.
World Athletics confirmed Nairobi as the 2029 host following its 242nd Council Meeting in Budapest, held on September 14 and 15. Munich, Germany, was selected to host the 2031 edition.
The decision marks a major milestone for Kenya, one of the world’s most successful athletics nations, and ends Africa’s long wait to host the senior World Athletics Championships.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said Nairobi emerged from a highly competitive bidding process involving four strong candidates.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” Coe said.
“The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.”
Coe said Nairobi and Munich presented different but compelling visions for the championships, adding that the two cities offered opportunities to expand the global reach of athletics.
For Nairobi, the successful bid builds on years of hosting major international athletics events.
Kenya staged the World U18 Championships at Kasarani Stadium in 2017 before hosting the World U20 Championships in 2021. Nairobi has also established the Kip Keino Classic, which has been part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold since 2020.
Kenya had previously bid for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, which were eventually awarded to Tokyo.
World Athletics said Nairobi returned with a stronger proposal for 2029, backed by greater hosting experience, financial guarantees and plans for an upgraded Kasarani Stadium.
Kasarani is undergoing a major overhaul ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania. The improvements are expected to strengthen the venue ahead of the World Athletics Championships two years later.
Coe described Nairobi's successful bid as both compelling and emotional, saying the time was right to take the championships to Africa.
“Taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic,” he said.
“Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country.”
Coe cited Kenya's long list of global athletics stars, including Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge, Vivian Cheruiyot, Hellen Obiri and David Rudisha.
He also pointed to legends Kipchoge Keino, Paul Tergat and Tegla Loroupe among athletes who have shaped Kenya’s global reputation in the sport.
“It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances,” Coe said.
“Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.”
Kenya is the second-most successful nation in World Athletics Championships history and finished second on the medal table at the 2025 championships in Tokyo, winning seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.
Nairobi's selection also continues the growth of major World Athletics competitions on the continent.
Uganda hosted the World Cross Country Championships in Kampala in 2017, while Botswana staged the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone in 2026, the first time the event was held in Africa.
After Nairobi 2029, the championships will return to Germany in 2031, with Munich hosting the event at its historic Olympic Stadium.
Both Nairobi 2029 and Munich 2031 are also scheduled for September as World Athletics seeks to position its flagship championships as the climax of the international athletics season.
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