Prince Harry’s Invictus Games Unveils 2029 Host Contenders — Including a Surprising Pick Close to Home

Prince Harry's Invictus Games are considering new continents for their 2029 event.

Ahead of the 2027 Games, set to take place in Birmingham, England, the organization released a shortlist of six cities around the globe that have submitted Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to host the 2029 event: Aalborg, Denmark; Veneto Region, Italy; Abuja, Nigeria; Daejeon, the Republic of Korea; Kyiv, Ukraine; and San Diego, the United States of America.

“We are thrilled to have such interest, demonstrating a clear recognition of the powerful impact of hosting an Invictus Games, not only on the competitors themselves, but on those supporting, watching, and cheering on from the stands," said Rob Owen OBE, CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation. "These expressions of interests are also testament to the growing global impact of being part of the Invictus Movement, and we look forward to working with each of these locations over the coming year to fuller propositions with the recovery of international wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans at their heart.”

One possible 2029 host city allows Harry to keep the Invictus Games close to home. San Diego, California, is just over 200 miles from the Duke of Sussex's new home in Montecito. Hosting the Invictus Games would be another sporting boon for Southern California, as Los Angeles is set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Abuja, Nigeria, is also a possible 2029 host city and already has a head start on becoming the first Invictus Games site in Africa. In January, the city broke ground on the Armed Forces Invictus Centre, a global first for Harry's Invictus Games Foundation.

General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, said, “The Invictus Games Abuja 2029 [would not be] merely a sporting event, but also a powerful platform aimed at transforming perception of disability in Nigeria and across Africa.

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The 2029 Games could also feature the first-ever Invictus event in Asia, with the submission of Daejeon, Republic of Korea, which is home to the country's National Cemetery and a Veterans’ Hospital.

"If the Invictus Games are hosted for the first time in Asia, in Daejeon, the Republic of Korea's proven resilience, together with its deep respect for service members and veterans, would create an ideal setting to spread the Invictus Spirit across Asia and beyond," said Kang Jung-ai, Korea's Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

The three other potential host cities are Aalborg, Denmark, the Veneto Region of Italy, and Kyiv, Ukraine.

Despite ongoing violence due to the Russian invasion, the Invictus Games organization said Kyiv submitted a "compelling EOI for hosting a future Invictus Games."

Natalyia Kalmykova, Ukraine's Minister for Veterans Affairs, said, “Sport is a key function in veterans’ healthcare. It’s thanks to our relationship with Invictus that we established, and continue to develop, the role of sports in recovery in Ukraine and why it’s included in the Veteran Policy Strategy.”

PEOPLE spoke exclusively with Harry at the conclusion of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 on Feb. 9, as the Duke of Sussex reflected on the event he founded just over a decade ago in 2014.

"I wish that we could close this down because there wasn’t a need for it, but as long as there’s a need for it, we will keep it going," Harry said at the time.

A former captain in the British Army, the prince launched the international competition as a support for service members and veterans in London in 2014.

"It’s amazing how after 10 years that we’re still doing this, that we still need to do this. We will continue the Games for as long as it's needed, and the need is increasing, rather than reducing," he told PEOPLE about marking the milestone. "So the fact that there will be a full cycle back in 2027, back to the U.K. is a place that I never thought we would be." 

"From a personal aspect, I’m just really grateful and proud for everybody who has been involved in the planning and the organization," Harry continued. "So many people said to me after the Opening Ceremony, 'How do you guys keep this going, with the world the way that it is? With the financial piece to this, how do you keep this going?' I said, 'With a really, really strong team behind it and people all over the world who know the value of putting something like this on.' "