Kenya’s government says Arsenal and Manchester United will play a friendly in Nairobi in the summer of 2027, but neither club has said a word about it yet.
The claim came from Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary, on Sunday 8 November. Speaking that day, he said President William Ruto would bring the two Premier League clubs to the country to play at the new Raila Odinga International Stadium.
The timing he gave points to the June and July window, shortly before Kenya co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Uganda and Tanzania. That would put it during what would normally be Arsenal’s pre-season.
What exactly did Murkomen say?
He was talking about the new stadium and the big games the government wants to bring to it. Murkomen said: “Next year the president will bring Arsenal and Manchester United to play in Nairobi.”
It is not the first time the idea has come up. Ruto had already signalled plans for a United vs Arsenal friendly at the same ground before the stadium’s opening match was announced, and Kenyan fans have been left wondering ever since whether it would ever really happen.
Both clubs have huge followings in Kenya, which is exactly why the government keeps putting their names forward.
Bayern Munich and Ajax go first
Kenya already have one big European friendly lined up. Bayern Munich will play Ajax on Tuesday 5 January 2027 to open the 60,000-seat stadium, which is in the final stages of being built. Tickets start at Ksh2,500.
Murkomen said the interest has been huge, with fans travelling from well beyond Kenya. “We have 5,000 Europeans coming to Kenya to watch the match. We have people from Nigeria and Egypt who are also coming to watch the game,” he said.
Both Bayern and Ajax have committed to fielding their best possible starting elevens, so it will not be a legends game or an academy run-out. Organisers are also planning a 12-hour fan festival around the match, with international artists and activities celebrating sport and Kenyan culture.
Have Arsenal or United confirmed anything?
No. Neither Arsenal nor Manchester United had publicly confirmed any such fixture when Murkomen spoke, and we have found no statement from either club since.
So for now this is a government promise rather than a booked game. Any tour would have to be announced by the clubs themselves, and nothing has come from London or Manchester so far.
Why the Bayern deal matters
What makes the claim more than talk is that Kenya have already landed one of Europe’s biggest clubs for January. If the Bayern and Ajax game goes well, with a full stadium and those thousands of overseas visitors, the case for bringing two Premier League sides becomes much easier to make.
Our view: a real chance, but not yet a fixture
For Arsenal supporters in East Africa, this would be massive. The Gunners head into the international break top of the Premier League, and a summer game against United in front of 60,000 in Nairobi would be one of the biggest football events the country has hosted.
But until Arsenal put it on their own pre-season schedule, it stays a claim. The government has now named the two clubs more than once, and the next step has to come from London and Manchester, not Nairobi.
