FC Bayern is traveling to Kenya in January for a friendly match. The club is set to receive a hefty sum for the match against Ajax Amsterdam.
FC Bayern’s unusual trip to Africa could be extremely lucrative. For the friendly match against Ajax Amsterdam on January 5, 2027, in Nairobi, the German record champions are set to receive an appearance fee of five million euros.
This is according to a report in the Münchner Merkur. The report states that head coach Vincent Kompany has also approved the trip to Kenya. Rouven Kasper, who is responsible for marketing and sales at FC Bayern, is said to have taken charge of the organizational details. At Säbener Straße, the stance was reportedly clear given the amount involved: with such a financial offer, the trip had to be made.
It has already been confirmed that Bayern will fly to Africa in early January. The club officially announced on Wednesday that it will face Ajax in Nairobi on January 5. The match will take place as part of the opening of the new national stadium and is also part of the team’s winter training.
What’s new, above all, is the financial scale of the trip. Five million euros for a single friendly match would be an exceptionally high revenue even for a top European club. At the same time, FC Bayern is linking the trip to its international marketing goals on the African continent.
Kompany Gives the Green Light for the Trip to Kenya
From a sporting perspective, the trip is not without risk. Just a few days after the friendly, Bayern’s regular Bundesliga schedule resumes. Consequently, the schedule around the turn of the year is quite tight.
The club had already emphasized in its official announcement that it wanted to further expand its presence in Africa. Kasper explained: “FC Bayern has millions of wonderful fans in Africa with whom we feel a close connection—it’s a continent with a huge passion for soccer.”
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The friendly match will also be a major sporting event. Ajax, a traditional European club, will be the opponent, and the match will be played at the new National Stadium in Nairobi. The stadium is expected to seat around 60,000 spectators. The match will be broadcast live on free-to-air TV in Germany on ProSieben.
FC Bayern is set to return to Bundesliga action as early as the following weekend. The trip to Kenya thus becomes a balancing act between preseason preparation, international brand promotion, and business interests.
However, given the reported bonus, it’s clear why club officials are apparently willing to accept this unusual schedule: Five million euros for a friendly match is a sum that makes the trip significantly more attractive from Munich’s perspective.