Kenya’s new 60,000-seat stadium will officially open on January 5, 2027, with a high-profile friendly between German giants Bayern Munich and Dutch powerhouse Ajax Amsterdam.
President William Ruto has announced that Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam will play in the official opening of the Raila Odinga International Stadium at Talanta Sports City in Nairobi on January 5, 2027.
The announcement, made on October 28, confirmed an international fixture expected to draw fans from Kenya and beyond. Both clubs have confirmed they will take part. Together, they have won 10 European Cup and UEFA Champions League titles.
Bayern Munich and Ajax have described the match as a chance to celebrate football in Africa and strengthen their connections with fans across the continent.
The 60,000-capacity stadium, located along Ngong Road, is a major addition to Kenya’s sporting infrastructure. It is also a key venue in the country’s preparations to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Uganda and Tanzania.
Construction began in March 2024. The stadium includes a hybrid playing surface, 52 skyboxes, video assistant referee (VAR) technology and goal-line technology, according to reports on the presidential announcement.
Ruto said the opening would be delivered through corporate partnerships and a commercially sustainable model designed to attract private investment and create economic opportunities. The match is also expected to showcase Kenya’s readiness to host major international sporting events. AFCON 2027 is scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17.
Ruto linked Bayern Munich’s participation to the legacy of the late former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, after whom the stadium is named. Odinga studied mechanical engineering in Germany and was known for his passion for football.
“There is a quiet poetry in this fixture. Raila studied in Germany; now a great German club will come to play in the house that bears his name,” Ruto said.
The President also pointed to Ajax’s reputation for developing young players. He said the club’s youth tradition was especially fitting for a stadium named Talanta Sports City, with talanta meaning “talent” in Swahili. Ruto described January 5 as the day “talent and the future will meet in Nairobi.”
The fixture is intended both as a tribute to Odinga’s legacy and as a milestone in the development of Kenya’s football infrastructure. For Bayern Munich, the Nairobi match is an opportunity to strengthen its relationship with supporters across Africa and raise the international profile of German football.
The club’s board member for marketing and sales, Rouven Kasper, said the event would give African fans a chance to experience Bayern more directly. Ajax has also welcomed the invitation, describing the stadium opening as an important occasion for Kenyan football and a major event ahead of the new year’s European season.
The clubs last met in the UEFA Champions League group stage in December 2018, drawing 3–3. Their January 2027 match will take place during the European football season. The travelling squads have not yet been confirmed, so the participation of individual players should not be assumed.
