‘See you soon, Kenya’ - Bayern Munich and Ajax confirm historic friendly at Talanta Stadium

European football giants Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich have confirmed their participation in a historic friendly in Nairobi early next year.

President William Ruto announced on Wednesday that the two sides will face off during the official opening of the ultra-modern 60,000-seater Talanta Stadium on January 5, 2027.

It will be the first sporting event to take place at the newly-built stadium, which will be Kenya’s main venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, and brings together two of the world’s top clubs who both share 10 European titles between them.

Record German champions Bayern confirmed the match through a statement on their website, expressing excitement that they will be playing in Nairobi.

“A special match to kick off the new year: On 5 January 2027, FC Bayern will travel to Nairobi to face Dutch record champions Ajax as part of the grand opening of the new national stadium, the ‘Raila Odinga International Stadium at Talanta Sports City’,” Bayern stated.

“An international football festival that will celebrate the passion for the game across the African continent. The aim of the event is to build up anticipation for the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in the summer of 2027.”

Bayern board member for marketing and sales Rouven Kasper is thrilled by the opportunity which will see the club connect with its fans in Africa.

“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’,” said Kasper.

“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.”

Meanwhile, Ajax confirmed the match via a social media message. It said: “We’re proud to announce that we will face FC Bayern in the opening match of the new Raila Odinga International Stadium at Talanta Sports City in Nairobi, Kenya.”

Bayern has some of the world’s top players, including newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry while Ajax have some ex-stars from the Bundesliga like Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Thilo Kehrer and Julian Brandt.

Both Bayern and Ajax will play the match during the midseason break before they resume the second part of the 2026-27 campaign.