Bayern Munich will play a special friendly match in Kenya during the winter break as they face Ajax to open the new national stadium in Nairobi.

Germany’s record champions will visit Kenya for the first time ever on 5 January as they inaugurate the Raila Odinga International Stadium, which has been constructed in the capital, Nairobi, ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Kenya will co-host the tournament together with Tanzania and Uganda next summer. It is the first time that AFCON will be played across three countries and the first in East Africa since 1976 in Ethiopia.

Tickets will go on sale from 5 November at talantasportscity.com.

The Raila Odinga International Stadium has been built ahead of AFCON 2027 and will be opened by Bayern and Ajax. - SIMON MAINA

Bayern and Ajax, who have a combined 10 European Cups/Champions League titles between them, last met in December 2018, when four goals were scored in the final 10 minutes of a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Champions League group stage.

From 10 competitive meetings, each club has won three times, plus four draws, including the last three encounters.

Joshua Kimmich featured the last time Bayern met Ajax in the 2018/19 Champions League. - Dean Mouhtaropoulos

Bayern’s only previous games in Africa were in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco, where Pep Guardiola’s team beat Guangzhou Evergrande 3-0 and then won the title against Raja Casablanca.

That 2-0 victory was the club's first competitive fixture against African opposition. The only other game came against Al Ahly of Egypt in the 2020 Club World Cup in Qatar, when Robert Lewandowski hit a brace in the semi-final triumph.

No player from Kenya has ever played in the Bundesliga, but Bayern have had some stars of African football down the years, from Sammy Kuffour to Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson and now Ismael Saibari.

Senegal international Bara Ndiaye is Bayern's latest up-and-coming African star. - Bundesliga/Getty Images/Christian Kaspar-Bartke

Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies, Serge Gnabry and Jonathan Tah, as well as coach Vincent Kompany, also all have African heritage.

Senegalese midfielder Bara Sapoko Ndiaye moved to Munich this year from Gambinos Stars Africa in Gambia, with whom Bayern have a youth partnership in West Africa. The club also supports the FC Bayern Youth Academy in Kigali, Rwanda, while the women’s team launched a partnership in 2024 with the Petrichor Football Association in Cameroon.