Visit Rwanda announces partnership with Aston Villa Football Club

Visit Rwanda, the country’s tourism marketing campaign, has confirmed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with prominent English Premier League club Aston Villa. 

Branding will appear on the front of all men’s, women’s and academy teams’ shirts, as well as in a number of other prominent spaces, in an agreement that Aston Villa has described as “the most important sponsorship deal in the history of the football club”. 

Both parties will also collaborate on a number of initiatives focused on football and coaching, as well as charitable and leadership initiatives and professional development opportunities. 

Visit Rwanda previously had an eight-year sleeve sponsorship agreement with Arsenal Football Club, the reigning English Premier League champions. This concluded in June 2026 at the end of the 2025–26 football season. 

Says Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB): “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.” 

Birmingham, the English city where the Aston Villa is based, earned the nickname the ‘City of a Thousand Trades’ during the Industrial Revolution because it relied on a massive variety of small, highly skilled independent workshops rather than a single dominant industry. 

Building on previous awareness and engagement 

Karemera continues: “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.” 

The sponsorship deal is being reported in the international media as being worth £20-million (US$26.8-million) a year.  

Francesco Calvo, President of Business Operations at Aston Villa, adds: “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.” 

Historic club with a history of success 

Founded in 1874, Aston Villa is one of England’s oldest and most successful clubs. Last season it finished fourth in the Premier League and won the UEFA Europa League competition. 

Visit Rwanda’s previous deal with Arsenal was criticised in some quarters in the UK, amidst claims that it was sportswashing aimed at deflecting attention from Rwanda’s human rights record. Amnesty International in the UK has repeated this criticism following the announcement of the Aston Villa sponsorship. 

You can watch an interview on Rwanda TV discussing the Aston Villa-Visit Rwanda partnership here.