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Kenya, UNESCO to collaborate around AFCON 2027 and 2029 World Championships, Ruto confirms
24th September, 2026 08:50 AM
President William Ruto has reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to using major international sporting events to strengthen the country’s position as a continental sports hub, as preparations continue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
Ruto made the remarks after meeting UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the two discussed cooperation between Kenya and UNESCO.
Confirming the development via social media on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the President specifically mentioned the two major sporting events as areas for collaboration, alongside education, culture and science.
“Kenya looks forward to hosting the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Nairobi in January 2027. We also discussed collaboration around AFCON 2027 and the 2029 World Athletics Championships, harnessing education, culture, science and sport to create more opportunities for our people.”
AFCON preparations enter crucial phase
Kenya will co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Tanzania and Uganda under the PAMOJA arrangement. The tournament is scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, marking the return of the continent’s premier football competition to East Africa after more than five decades.
For Kenya, preparations are centred largely on Nairobi’s stadium infrastructure.
The newly constructed 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium is being developed as one of the country’s principal AFCON facilities, while the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani and Nyayo National Stadium are also undergoing works to meet tournament requirements.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe inspected Kenya’s preparations in September and visited both Talanta Stadium and Kasarani. Following the inspection, he called for an increased sense of urgency among the three host countries, stressing that the venues need to be tested ahead of the tournament.
Kenyan officials have previously said the country is targeting the possibility of staging both the opening and closing ceremonies in Nairobi. Parliament was told in August that Talanta Stadium was nearing completion and that preparations were progressing across infrastructure, hospitality, security, transport and other tournament requirements.
The AFCON project is also expected to provide a major test for Kenya’s ability to stage a large multi-venue football tournament before the country turns its attention to another global sporting event.
Nairobi gets historic 2029 World Athletics Championships
Two years after AFCON, Nairobi will welcome another major international sporting event after World Athletics selected the Kenyan capital to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
The decision was announced on September 15, 2026, with Nairobi chosen alongside Munich, which will host the 2031 edition. Nairobi’s selection means the World Athletics Championships will be staged in Africa for the first time.
World Athletics said Nairobi’s bid was supported by the city’s experience in hosting major athletics competitions, including the 2017 World U18 Championships and the 2021 World U20 Championships. The city also hosts the Kip Keino Classic, which is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
The governing body also pointed to the planned renovation of Kasarani Stadium, which is being upgraded ahead of AFCON 2027 and will provide an important foundation for the 2029 championships.
Kenya’s strong record in athletics was another factor highlighted by World Athletics. The country finished second on the medal table at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo with 11 medals, including seven gold medals.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described Nairobi’s selection as a historic opportunity to take the championships to Africa for the first time, while recognising Kenya’s longstanding contribution to the sport.
Two major events, one sporting infrastructure programme
The proximity of AFCON 2027 and the 2029 World Athletics Championships gives Kenya an opportunity to use the same period of infrastructure development to prepare for two different sporting demands.
Talanta Stadium is being developed primarily with football and major events in mind, while Kasarani remains central to Kenya’s athletics infrastructure. The government’s wider programme also includes upgrades to other stadiums and the development of sports facilities across the country.
Ruto has previously argued that sports infrastructure should be treated as a long-term investment rather than simply as facilities for individual competitions.
“Today, sports is infrastructure. Sports are an investment. Sports is culture, diplomacy, technology, tourism, and jobs,” Ruto said in May while discussing the commercialisation of sport in Africa.
His latest remarks in New York therefore place AFCON 2027 and Nairobi 2029 within the same broader sporting programme, with the two events set to give Kenya successive opportunities to stage continental football and global athletics competitions.
For football, the immediate priority remains completing and testing the facilities before AFCON begins in June 2027. For athletics, Nairobi’s successful bid has already secured a historic first for the continent, with the focus now shifting towards delivering the 2029 championships.
Together, the two tournaments will place Kenya at the centre of the African sporting calendar between 2027 and 2029, with Nairobi preparing to host both a major continental football tournament and the first World Athletics Championships ever staged on African soil.
