FC Bayern will travel to Nairobi to face Dutch record champions AFC Ajax as part of the grand opening of the new Raila Odinga International Stadium at Talanta Sports City, President William Ruto has announced.

In an international football festival that will celebrate the passion for the game across the African continent, President Ruto said that the two European giants will face off on 5th January 2027.

The new Raila Odinga International Stadium (capacity: 60,000) is one of the stadiums that will host matches at the Africa Cup of Nations in the summer of 2027.

The aim of the event is to build up anticipation for the tournament which will be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. This will be the first time the tournament has been held across three countries, and it marks its return to East Africa after more than 50 years. The tournament has been held only ince in East Africa—in 1976, when it was hosted by Ethiopia.

“FC Bayern has millions of fantastic fans in Africa with whom we feel a close connection – it’s a continent with a huge passion for football. For many years, we have consistently maintained a presence in America and Asia with our ‘Audi Summer Tour’. Now we have a new opportunity to further strengthen our connection with our fans in Africa too, to allow people to experience FC Bayern first-hand and to underline our club’s international appeal. We will be making a further contribution to raising the profile of the Bundesliga and are very much looking forward to this special event,” Rouven Kasper, FC Bayern board member for marketing & sales, says.