Visit Rwanda Becomes Aston Villa’s Official Partner Starting 2026/27 Season
Rwanda has signed a record multi-year sponsorship deal with Aston Villa, marking a significant milestone in the club’s commercial history through its partnership with Visit Rwanda.
Starting with the 2026/27 season, the tourism board will serve as the club’s Principal Partner, Official Tourism Partner, and Official Coffee Provider. This landmark agreement will see Visit Rwanda branding featured on the front of shirts for the men’s, women’s, and academy teams across all competitions, including the Premier League and European tournaments.
Described as the most lucrative deal in Villa’s history, the partnership is reportedly worth up to £20 million ($26.75 million) annually, including performance-related bonuses. This represents a substantial increase over the previous front-of-shirt arrangement with Betano. The timing of the transition is strategic, as Premier League clubs have agreed to voluntarily phase out gambling and betting brands from the front of match shirts starting in the 2026/27 season.
Francesco Calvo, President of Business Operations, Aston Villa, said: “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.”
For Rwanda, this partnership follows a successful eight-year tenure as Arsenal’s sleeve sponsor, which concluded at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) leverages these high-profile sports partnerships to elevate its international profile and promote its “Visit Rwanda” campaign. Since the inception of its football branding strategy, Rwanda has seen a notable surge in tourism, with visitor arrivals growing to approximately 1.4 million by 2024, and revenues reaching 1.1 billion by 2029. Beyond tourism, the partnership will also promote Rwandan coffee in stadium cafes and global markets.
The announcement follows the recent reveal of Villa’s 2026/27 home kit, which features a retro touch inspired by the 1960s. Produced by adidas, the kit was launched via a Pathe newsreel-style short film featuring manager Unai Emery, current stars, and 1982 European Cup-winning captain Dennis Mortimer. While the kit was initially unveiled without a sponsor logo, the club has announced that supporters who already purchased the shirt can have the Visit Rwanda branding printed free of charge at official stores.
For both parties, this agreement represents an exciting step toward international growth. The partnership extends beyond simple branding to include football development programs, coach education, and academy exchanges for young Rwandans. As Aston Villa prepares for its upcoming Champions League campaign, this record-breaking deal positions the club as a financially robust giant ready for long-term European success.
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), said: “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. Bringing together the Land of a Thousand Hills and the City of a Thousand Trades celebrates a shared commitment to enterprise, innovation and ambition.
“Building on eight successful years of raising awareness and engagement in the United Kingdom, one of Rwanda’s key tourism source markets, we look forward to working with Aston Villa to expand our reach to new audiences in the UK, across Europe and beyond. Through this partnership, we aim to deepen the connection with those already considering travel to Rwanda, whether for tourism, investment or business events, all while contributing to the long-term growth and development of the football ecosystem in Rwanda.”
