The decision was made during the World Athletics Council meeting in Budapest on Monday and Tuesday, September 14-15, following a competitive bidding process that included Nairobi, Munich, London and Rome. Munich was selected to host the 2031 edition.

The 2029 championships will be held in Nairobi, with the 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium serving as the main venue. The event will mark the first time the senior World Athletics Championships have been held on African soil.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described Nairobi’s bid as “compelling and emotional”, saying Kenya’s deep connection with athletics made it an appropriate host for the historic edition.

“Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country,” Coe said.

“It was important that the World Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.”

Kenya’s athletics record was a central part of its successful bid. The country is the second-most successful nation in World Athletics Championships history and finished second on the medal table at the 2025 championships in Tokyo, winning seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.

Its athletes have also played a major role in shaping the history of the sport, including Olympic and world champions such as Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri, Vivian Cheruiyot and David Rudisha.

Kenya has also built experience hosting major international athletics events in Nairobi. The capital staged the World U18 Championships in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021, while Kenya has hosted other major global athletics competitions.

Nairobi’s bid also benefited from ongoing upgrades to Kasarani Stadium and other sports infrastructure ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya will co-host with Tanzania and Uganda.

The successful bid follows Kenya’s unsuccessful attempt to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Tokyo was ultimately awarded that edition.

World Athletics said Kenya’s strong public interest in athletics was another factor supporting Nairobi’s bid. Research cited by the governing body found that 68% of Kenyans surveyed had a high level of interest in athletics, compared with a global average of 39%.

The 2029 championships will represent a major milestone for African athletics, bringing the sport’s premier global competition to a continent that has produced some of its most successful athletes but has never previously hosted the senior World Championships.

The next World Athletics Championships will be held in Beijing from September 10-19, 2027, before the event moves to Nairobi in 2029.