President Ruto and FIFA Boss Gianni Infantino Discuss Proposed FIFA-Standard Stadium In Mombasa

President William Ruto and FIFA President Gianni Infantino have held high-level discussions regarding the construction of a FIFA-standard stadium in Mombasa to serve Kenya’s coastal region and elevate the country’s standing in international sports tourism.

The bilateral talks, held on Thursday, September 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, were attended by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.

“We also discussed progress on the possibility of a FIFA-standard stadium in Mombasa to serve the Coast region and position Kenya as a hub for international football and sports tourism,” FKF President Hussein Mohammed confirmed in an official statement.

The proposed Mombasa venue adds momentum to the government’s broader sports infrastructure agenda, which includes ongoing construction across 32 regional facilities—most notably the Raila Odinga International Stadium, built to meet both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) specifications.

Beyond stadium construction, the discussions focused on deepening institutional partnerships between Kenya and world football’s governing body. President Ruto highlighted plans to establish regional technical centers designed to decentralize talent identification and structure developmental pathways for youth athletes.

“We discussed regional technical centres to identify and nurture young talent, strengthen grassroots football and create clear pathways for the next generation of Kenyan players,” President Ruto stated following the meeting.

FKF leadership further confirmed that the delegation reviewed the implementation of the FIFA Arena project and the establishment of a state-of-the-art national technical center to support coaching education and elite player development nationwide.