Rwanda has signed a record-breaking sponsorship agreement with Aston Villa under the deal ‘Visit Rwanda’. It will become the club’s official front-of-shirt sponsor from the 2026-27 season.
The agreement is worth up to £20 million per year and is the largest commercial shirt sponsorship in Aston Villa’s history. It follows the end of Rwanda’s eight-year sleeve sponsorship with Arsenal.
Reportedly, the partnership gives Rwanda greater global visibility as the country continues to expand its tourism industry. It has been generated with great efforts and have recorded increase of 685 million from nearly 1.5 million visitors.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Rwanda Convention Bureau – Janet Karemera confirmed that the partnership includes several planned visits to Rwanda by Villa representatives. She explained that players from both men’s and women’s teams are expected to visit the country, alongside members of the club’s executive leadership.
Karemera added that on their board they have a board member who’s already invested in Rwanda. So, according to her, they’re very much aware of the country and its ambitions.
Rwanda 🇷🇼 has signed a record sponsorship agreement with Aston Villa.
Under the deal, Visit Rwanda will become the club’s official front-of-shirt sponsor from the 2026/27 season.
The agreement, worth up to £20 million per year, is the largest commercial shirt sponsorship in… pic.twitter.com/h0D5pVgLNR
— Africa View Facts (@AfricaViewFacts) July 14, 2026
Despite its growing presence in European football, Visit Rwanda has been criticised in recent years, with human rights groups, who are questioning country’s sponsorship deals with certain clubs. They have also raised concerns about whether such partnerships improve Rwanda’s international image while diverting attention from political and regional issues, or not.
As per the sources, Aston Villa’s new sponsorship agreement with Visit Rwanda has drawn criticism from human rights campaigners, with Amnesty International, and said that the African nation is using the deal to burnish its international image.
Visit Rwanda and the Premier League club signed the multi-year deal on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. Amnesty International UK further stated that the partnership risked helping Rwanda sportswash its human rights record and cited allegations surrounding the country’s role in the conflict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Rwandan government has regularly denied these allegations, that it backs any rebel groups operating in Congo.