After two postponements, it is now official that the first leg of the Mashemeji Derby between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia will take place on Sunday 30 March at Nyayo Stadium.A Football Kenya Federation (FKF) letter on Friday 21 March confirmed the development, stating Sports Kenya had granted both teams access to the renovated facility.#MashemejiDerby confirmed Sunday March 30 at Nyayo Stadium pic.twitter.com/407yybh2ge— Eric Njiru ⚽️ (@EricNjiiru) March 21, 2025 Two previous attempts to host the game at Nyayo this season had been rebuffed, forcing the biggest club game in the land to take a back seat.In November 2024, Nyayo was deemed “not ready” to host the fixture despite the home side – AFC Leopards – making a formal request.Fast forward to late February, a dramatic week of build-up saw Ingwe, in separate instances, announce different venues for the game – Moi International Sports Stadium – Kasarani and Nyayo – before ultimately missing on both.Blow to AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia as Mashemeji Derby postponed once againFKF, in their announcement, stated AFC had failed to secure a suitable venue for the match, with both stadia remaining unavailable.The decision came as a major surprise, given that days earlier, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had given Nyayo Stadium the greenlight to host a 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier between Kenya’s Harambee Stars and Gabon on Sunday 23 March.Nyayo Stadium to host Harambee Stars’ World Cup Qualifier next monthWeeks later, the facility opened its doors for the first time in eight months when Kenya’s U17 women’s team thrashed Uganda 3-0 in the second leg of a second-round FIFA World Cup Qualifier.Nyayo Stadium is among the venues anticipated to host the upcoming African Nations Championships (CHAN) in August, together with Kasarani.##NAJAVA_MECA_8796419##And so after weeks of waiting, fans can be guaranteed of the derby finally taking place, coming in as the third straight weekend game at the Nairobi facility.As it stands, Gor Mahia could go top of the table with a win over their fierce rivals, while Leopards can only move to fourth with a first derby win since May 2023.
