Nairobi will become the first African city to host the World Athletics Championships after Kenya won the right to stage the global track and field showpiece in 2029.
Kenya has won the race to bring the world’s biggest athletics championship to Africa, with Nairobi selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships in a decision that marks a historic first for the continent.
World Athletics announced the decision on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, confirming Nairobi as the host city after Kenya’s bid defeated competition from London, Rome and Munich. Munich was subsequently awarded the 2031 edition.
The championships will be staged at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, transforming Nairobi into the centre of global athletics when the world’s leading track and field athletes descend on Kenya in 2029.
A First for Africa
The decision closes a long-standing gap in the history of athletics.
Africa has produced some of the greatest athletes the sport has ever known, from distance-running legends to Olympic and world champions, but the continent had never hosted the senior World Athletics Championships.
That changes in 2029.
Nairobi will become the first African city to stage the World Athletics Championships, giving the continent a chance to host the sport’s premier global championship on home soil for the first time.
For Kenya, the symbolism is particularly powerful.
Few countries have contributed more to the global identity of athletics. Kenya has built an extraordinary reputation in distance running and has produced generations of Olympic, world and Diamond League champions.
Now, instead of Kenyan athletes travelling overseas to compete for world titles, the world will travel to Kenya.
Nairobi’s Winning Bid
Kenya’s successful campaign was built around its deep athletics culture, experience hosting major international competitions and plans to upgrade its infrastructure.
The country had previously sought the right to host the 2025 World Championships, but Tokyo was selected for that edition. Kenya returned with a new bid for 2029, drawing on its experience hosting major World Athletics competitions.
Nairobi’s bid also benefited from the country’s history of staging international athletics events, including the 2017 World U18 Championships.
Kasarani is also undergoing major renovation, strengthening Nairobi’s case to host an event that will attract athletes, officials, spectators and global media from around the world.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described the bidding process as exceptionally strong, with four high-quality candidates competing for the 2029 and 2031 championships.
The decision also represents a significant vote of confidence in Africa’s ability to stage a global sporting event of the highest level.
From the African Running Heartland to the World Stage
There is an almost poetic quality to the decision.
For decades, Kenya’s greatest runners have carried the country’s name across the world’s stadiums. The hills of the Rift Valley have become synonymous with endurance running, while Kenyan champions have dominated some of the sport’s most demanding events.
In 2029, the global athletics community will make the journey in the opposite direction.
Nairobi will host the athletes.
Kenyan fans will fill the stands.
And Africa will finally have its turn to stage the sport’s flagship championship.
The timing also gives Kenya several years to complete infrastructure upgrades and prepare for the enormous logistical demands of hosting thousands of athletes, officials, journalists and spectators.
A Bigger Opportunity for African Athletics
The significance of Nairobi 2029 extends beyond Kenya.
The championship could provide a powerful platform for African athletics, potentially boosting investment in facilities, youth development, coaching, sports science, tourism and the broader sports economy.
It also sends a message to international sports federations that major global competitions can be successfully staged on the continent.
For young African athletes, the impact could be even more profound.
Instead of seeing the world’s biggest athletics championship as an event that always happens somewhere else, a new generation will be able to experience it in Nairobi.
The next World Athletics Championships will be held in Beijing in 2027, before the competition moves to Nairobi in 2029 and then Munich in 2031.
Kenya has spent decades building its identity as an athletics powerhouse.
In 2029, the world will come to witness it at home.
Africa’s World Championships era has finally arrived.
