World Athletics announced Nairobi as the host city following its 242nd Council Meeting in Budapest on September 15, 2026. Munich, Germany, was selected to host the 2031 edition.
The decision marks a major milestone for Kenya, a country whose sporting identity is closely associated with athletics and whose athletes have dominated several middle- and long-distance events on the international stage.
The 2029 World Athletics Championships will be staged at Kasarani Stadium, which is currently undergoing a major renovation ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The stadium will then have two years to prepare for the World Athletics Championships.
Nairobi’s successful bid follows an earlier attempt to host the 2025 championships, which were ultimately awarded to Tokyo. The Kenyan capital returned with a stronger proposal built around its experience hosting international athletics competitions, upgraded infrastructure, operational planning and financial guarantees.
Kenya has already demonstrated its ability to stage major World Athletics events. Nairobi hosted the World U18 Championships in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021, while Kenya also hosted the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa in 2007.
The 2029 championships will feature approximately 2,000 athletes from more than 195 countries competing across 50 track and field events over nine days, according to World Athletics.
The award also comes as Kenya continues to strengthen its position within the global athletics calendar. Nairobi hosts the Kip Keino Classic, which forms part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, giving the city regular experience in staging elite international competition.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described Nairobi’s bid as compelling and emphasised the significance of taking the championships to Africa for the first time. The federation also highlighted Kenya’s strong athletics following, with its research showing a substantially higher level of interest in athletics among Kenyans than its global survey average.
Kenya’s record at the championships also strengthens the significance of the award. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Kenya finished second on the medal table, winning seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.
The 2029 event is expected to place Nairobi in the international spotlight and create opportunities around tourism, hospitality, transport, sports business and event management. It will also give Kenya an opportunity to showcase its athletics heritage while demonstrating its capacity to host one of the world’s largest sporting events.
The road to Nairobi 2029 will begin well before the athletes arrive. Kasarani’s renovation, accommodation capacity, transport systems, security, athlete facilities and wider event infrastructure will all be central to preparations.
The championships will follow the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, with both the 2029 Nairobi and 2031 Munich editions scheduled for September.
For Kenya, however, the significance goes beyond hosting another major sporting event. Nairobi 2029 will be the first time the World Athletics Championships are staged in Africa, bringing the global track and field community to a country that has helped define the sport’s modern history.
