Nairobi to host 2029 World Athletics Championships — first time on African soil
Kenya's capital Nairobi has been confirmed as host of the 2029 World Athletics Championships, beating bids from London, Munich, and Rome to become the first African city to stage the sport's biggest event outside the Oly
After decades of Kenyan athletes breaking records on tracks around the world, the world championships are finally coming home.
Nairobi has been confirmed as host of the 2029 World Athletics Championships, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe announced on September 15 following a council meeting in Budapest. The decision makes Kenya the first African nation to stage the sport's premier global event, which will bring together over 200 countries and approximately 2,000 of the world's top track and field athletes.
"This council decision today means we're able to deliver our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa, and Europe over its next three editions," Coe told a press conference. Beijing will host the 2027 edition, with Munich confirmed for 2031.
'Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya'
The announcement was met with chants of "It's coming home!" from the Kenyan delegation in Budapest. Kenya is second only to the United States on the all-time World Athletics Championships medal table and has long been a superpower in distance running — from Faith Kipyegon's middle-distance dominance to Beatrice Chebet's recent golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2025 Tokyo championships.
"Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic," Coe said. "Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya."
Salim Mvurya, Kenya's sports minister, added that "the world will come to a country where running is more than competition, it is our national story."
Nairobi beat strong bids from London, Munich, and Rome. Both the 2029 and 2031 championships will take place in September, aligning with World Athletics' objective to conclude the global athletics calendar with a major championship at the end of each season.
Building on a decade of African hosting experience
The decision builds on Kenya's track record staging global athletics events. Nairobi hosted the World Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships in 2021. Uganda's Kampala staged the 2017 World Cross Country Championships, while Botswana's Gaborone hosted the 2026 World Athletics Relays earlier this year — the first edition of that event held in Africa.
"Those events have helped build significant experience and expertise in staging global athletics competitions across the continent," World Athletics said in a statement.
For Kenya's diaspora — from nurses in Texas to engineers in London — the 2029 championships offer a rare chance to see the world come to Nairobi, to a country where running is a source of national pride, economic mobility, and global recognition.
The countdown to 2029 has begun. Kenya now has three years to prepare the infrastructure, logistics, and global stage for the moment athletics finally comes to Africa.
