Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making Kenya the first African country to stage the senior edition of the sport’s flagship global event.
World Athletics announced the decision on Tuesday after its council met in Budapest on 14 and 15 September. Munich was selected to host the following championships in 2031. Both events are planned for September as the governing body seeks to place its main championship at the end of the international season.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the council considered four strong bids for the two editions. He said the candidates had demonstrated the ambition and commitment behind the continuing global appeal of the championships.
The award recognises Kenya’s central place in international athletics. World Athletics describes the country as the second-most-successful nation in the history of the championships. Kenya finished second on the medal table at Tokyo 2025, winning seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.
Nairobi also has experience staging major age-group meetings. The city hosted the World Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships in 2021. The 2029 event will be a much larger test of venues, transport, accommodation and operational planning, with the world’s leading senior athletes and a global audience.
The championships began in Helsinki in 1983 but have never previously been held in Africa. Beijing will stage the next edition from 10 to 19 September 2027 before the event moves to Nairobi two years later.
Sources: World Athletics, 15 September 2026; Africanews.