English Premier League side Aston Villa has unveiled Visit Rwanda as its new principal partner, official tourism partner, and official coffee partner in a deal aimed at promoting Rwanda to millions of football fans worldwide.
Under the agreement, the Visit Rwanda logo will appear on the front of the shirts worn by Aston Villa’s men’s, women’s, and academy teams. The partnership will also feature across the club’s branding and marketing platforms.
The announcement marks Rwanda’s second shirt sponsorship with a Premier League club, following the conclusion of its eight-year partnership with Arsenal on June 30. During that agreement, Visit Rwanda featured on the sleeves of Arsenal’s men’s and women’s team jerseys.
Aston Villa President of Business Operations, Francesco Calvo, described the partnership as an important milestone 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,” he said.
Visit Rwanda replaces betting company Betano as Aston Villa’s front-of-shirt sponsor.
According to Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), the partnership is designed to strengthen Rwanda’s visibility in the United Kingdom, one of the country’s key tourism source markets, while reaching broader audiences across Europe and beyond.
“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, while contributing to the long-term growth and development of the football ecosystem in Rwanda,” Karemera said.
She added that the sponsorship reflects Rwanda’s broader ambition to use global sport as a platform to showcase the country’s tourism, investment, and business opportunities.
Beyond branding on matchday kits, the partnership will promote Rwanda as a destination for tourism, investment, business events, and sports. It also includes joint initiatives in football and coaching development, leadership programs, community projects, charitable activities, and professional development.
The agreement reinforces Rwanda’s sports diplomacy strategy, which has seen the country leverage partnerships with internationally recognized sports organizations to build global brand awareness, attract visitors and investors, and position itself as a hub for major sporting and business events in Africa.
