Football in Kenya

Football in Kenya
Football in Kenya
Country	Kenya
Governing body	Football Kenya Federation
National team(s)	Kenya
National competitions
	FIFA World Cup ; FIFA Confederations Cup ; Africa Cup of Nations ; African Nations Championship ; CECAFA Cup
Club competitions
	List League:; Premier League ; National Super League ; Division One ; Regional Leagues ; County Champions League ; Sub-County Leagues ; Cups:; President's Cup ; Top 8 Cup ; Super Cup ; ;
International competitions
	FIFA Club World Cup ; CAF Champions League ; CAF Confederation Cup

Last updated August 21, 2025

Association football is the most popular sport in Kenya, followed by rugby.^[1] Around 45% of Kenyans are considered football fan.^[2]

Kenyan football on television

Football is shown on television in the following channels:

SuperSport / KBC - Kenyan Premier League, Kenyan National Super League, FKF President's Cup, Kenyan Super Cup, KPL Top 8 Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, FIFA Club World Cup, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, FA Cup, EFL Cup FA Community Shield, Coupe de France, CAF Champions League, CAF Confederation Cup, FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship
Setanta Africa / Zuku Sports - French Ligue 1, Dutch Eredivisie, Belgian Pro League, Mexican Liga MX, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Major League Soccer, Africa Cup of Nations

League system

Men

There is a three-tier league system, with provincial, county and sub-county leagues below used to promote clubs to national leagues.

Level	League/Division(s)
1 Premier League	Kenyan Premier League 18 clubs
2 Super League	Kenyan National Super League 20 clubs
3 Division One	Zone A 14 clubs				Zone B 14 clubs
4 Division Two	Western Zone 15 clubs		Central Zone 30 clubs		Eastern Zone 24 clubs		Northern Zone 15 clubs
5 Regional Leagues	Nyanza League 20 clubs	Western League 20 clubs	Rift Valley League 20 clubs	Central League 20 clubs	Nairobi League 20 clubs	Eastern League 20 clubs	North Eastern League 20 clubs	Coast League 20 clubs
6 County Champions League	Baringo League	Bomet League	Bungoma League	Busia League	Embu League	Garissa League	Isiolo League	Kiambu League
	Elgeyo-Marakwet League	Homa Bay League	Kajiado League	Kakamega League	Kilifi League	Kirinyaga League	Kitui League	Kwale League
	Kericho League	Kisii League	Kisumu League	Laikipia League	Lamu League	Machakos League	Makueni League	Mandera League
	Migori League	Nakuru League	Nandi League	Narok League	Marsabit League	Meru League	Mombasa League	Murang'a League
	Nyamira League	Samburu League	Siaya League	Trans-Nzoia League	Nairobi A. League	Nairobi B. League	Nyandarua League	Nyeri League
	Turkana League	Uasin Gishu League	Vihiga League	West Pokot League	Taita-Taveta League	Tana River League	Tharaka-Nithi League	Wajir League
7 Sub-County Leagues	Sub-County Leagues

Women

Seasons in Kenyan football

The following articles detail the major results and events in each season since 1963, when the first organised Kenyan competition, the Premier League, was created.

1960s:				1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
1970s:	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
1980s:	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
1990s:	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
2000s:	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
2010s:	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019

Football stadiums in Kenya

A minimum capacity of 5,000 is required for this list.

Rank	Stadium	City	Capacity	Tenants
1	Moi International Sports Centre Stadium	Nairobi	60,000	Kenya national football team, Gor Mahia F.C.
2	William Ole Ntimama Stadium	Narok	20,000
3	Nyayo National Stadium	Nairobi	18,000	A.F.C. Leopards
4	Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium	Kisumu	15,000
5	Kinoru Stadium	Meru	15,000
6	Afraha Stadium	Nakuru	8,200	Ulinzi Stars F.C.

Support

Twitter research from 2015 found that the most popular English Premier League club in Kenya was Arsenal, with 31% of Kenyan Premier League fans following the club, followed by Manchester United (23%) and Chelsea (17%).^[7]

References

↑ "Kenya - Sports & Recreation". Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
↑ https://countrycassette.com/rankings-sports-football-fans-by-country/
↑ "Is it really money that is Kenya soccer's problem?". The Star. 2013-02-23. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
↑ "Kenyan football clubs lose revenue to counterfeits | Africatime". En.africatime.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
↑ "The sad state of player development in Kenyan football". The Star. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
↑ "Looking back at previous youth soccer development initiatives in Kenya - Kenyan sports; The Revival". Kenyanstar. 2012-06-15. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
↑ "Which is Africa's favourite Premier League team?". BBC News. 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2024-10-18.

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[1] "Kenya - Sports & Recreation". Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.

[2] ttps://countrycassette.com/rankings-sports-football-fans-by-country/

[3] "Is it really money that is Kenya soccer's problem?". The Star. 2013-02-23. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.

[4] "Kenyan football clubs lose revenue to counterfeits | Africatime". En.africatime.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.

[5] "The sad state of player development in Kenyan football". The Star. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.

[6] "Looking back at previous youth soccer development initiatives in Kenya - Kenyan sports; The Revival". Kenyanstar. 2012-06-15. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.

[bbc-7] "Which is Africa's favourite Premier League team?". BBC News. 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2024-10-18.

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v t e Football in Africa
Sovereign states	Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
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