Bayern Munich and Ajax to play inaugural friendly at Nairobi’s Raila Odinga Stadium on Jan. 5, 2027

Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam will meet in a friendly at Nairobi’s Raila Odinga International Stadium at Talanta Sports City on January 5, 2027, a match that will serve as the official inauguration of the new 60,000‑seat national stadium.

Kenyan President William Ruto announced the fixture and the stadium opening as part of an international football festival ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The venue is described as Kenya’s new national stadium and will hold 60,000 spectators. “Come fifth January 2027, we will open this stadium with a historic match between two giants of European football, FC Bayern Munich of Germany and AFC Ajax of Amsterdam,” Ruto said. “Two years ago, I promised the people of Kenya a world-class stadium where the greatest teams in the world would come to play. Today, we are keeping that promise.”

Bayern announced the Ajax friendly in a statement on their social media channels and on the club website, framing the match as an opportunity to engage supporters across 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,” the club’s statement on their website read. “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.”

Broadcast arrangements confirmed that viewers in Germany will be able to watch the friendly on ProSieben and via FC Bayern TV PLUS, the club’s pay-per-view streaming service. The match’s Indian broadcast details have not been specified yet.

The announcement noted the long history of African players at Bayern Munich, citing Ghanaian Samuel Kuffour among those who have represented the club; Kuffour won the 2001 UEFA Champions League with Die Roten. Sadio Mané, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Noussair Mazraoui and Medhi Benatia were also listed as other Africans who have played for the Bundesliga side.

The friendly on January 5, 2027, will act as the ceremonial opening of the Raila Odinga International Stadium and will kick off the international football festival staged ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.