KIGALI, Rwanda — Rwanda has significantly expanded its global sports marketing strategy after securing a landmark partnership with English Premier League club Aston Villa, a deal that will see the Visit Rwanda brand appear on the front of the club’s match shirts in what Aston Villa describes as the largest commercial agreement in its history.
The partnership elevates Rwanda’s presence in international football from shirt-sleeve sponsorships to one of the most visible branding positions in world sport, placing the East African nation’s tourism campaign at the centre of Aston Villa’s men’s, women’s and academy team kits.
Under the agreement, Visit Rwanda will also become Aston Villa’s official tourism partner and official coffee partner, while the two parties collaborate on football development, coaching programmes, community initiatives and investment promotion.
A new chapter after Arsenal
The deal comes as Rwanda prepares to end its eight-year partnership with English Premier League side Arsenal at the conclusion of the 2025–26 season.
The Arsenal sponsorship, launched in 2018, helped establish Rwanda as one of Africa’s most visible sports tourism brands and was estimated to be worth more than $10 million annually, according to publicly reported figures.
The arrangement saw the Visit Rwanda logo appear on Arsenal’s shirt sleeves and throughout the club’s global marketing activities, exposing the country to millions of football fans worldwide.
However, the partnership increasingly attracted scrutiny from activists and campaign groups amid tensions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and allegations that Rwanda supports the M23 rebel movement. Kigali has consistently denied those accusations.
Despite the controversy, Arsenal said the sponsorship had achieved its objectives of promoting tourism, conservation and Rwanda’s emergence as a sporting destination.
Aston Villa calls deal a milestone
Aston Villa President of Business Operations Francesco Calvo described the partnership as a significant step in the club’s international growth strategy.
“This is a very exciting partnership for Aston Villa Football Club and a symbol of the club’s continuing expansion and growth into international markets.”
“There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activations through tourism, investment and sporting development.”
The agreement coincides with Aston Villa’s continued resurgence under manager Unai Emery and the club’s growing global profile following recent qualification for European competition.
Rwanda seeks global visibility
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau, said the partnership forms part of a broader effort to position Rwanda as a destination for tourism, investment and international business.
“This sponsorship is a powerful expression of Rwanda’s ambition to engage global audiences through one of the world’s most influential platforms and position our country as a destination to visit, invest and do business.”
She said the agreement builds on nearly a decade of tourism promotion efforts in the United Kingdom, one of Rwanda’s key visitor source markets.
According to the Rwanda Development Board, tourism remains one of the country’s leading foreign exchange earners, with the government increasingly using sport as a vehicle to attract visitors, conferences and investment.
Sport as a tool of soft power
The Aston Villa agreement is the latest example of Rwanda’s strategy of using elite international sport to enhance its global profile.
In addition to Arsenal, Visit Rwanda has partnered with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, Spanish club Atletico Madrid, German giants Bayern Munich, the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and NBA franchise Los Angeles Clippers.
Supporters argue that such partnerships have transformed Rwanda’s international visibility, helping attract tourists, investors and global events.
Critics, however, question whether public funds should be used for overseas sponsorships and argue that the partnerships can expose sports organisations to geopolitical controversies.
Nevertheless, Rwanda continues to defend the strategy, saying the sponsorships generate long-term economic returns by increasing awareness of the country as a destination for travel, business and investment.
The Aston Villa partnership now becomes the flagship project in that strategy, giving Rwanda one of the most prominent branding positions in English football and extending its reach to audiences across Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.
