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14 May 2026

Daily Newsletter

Deel replaces Visit Rwanda as Arsenal sleeve sponsor from 2026-27

The company’s logo will appear on the left sleeve of Arsenal’s home, away, and third shirts.

Susan Lingeswaran May 14 2026

English soccer giants Arsenal have unveiled Deel, the global payroll and human resources (HR) platform, as a new sleeve partner under an expanded multi-year agreement beginning next season.

The new deal builds on Deel’s agreement with Arsenal, struck in December 2025, to serve as the club’s official HR platform partner and will see the company’s logo appear on the left sleeve of the club's home, away, and third shirts from the 2026-27 season.

The club’s new home kit will launch tomorrow (May 15), with a launch video debuting the patch.

Alex Bouaziz, co-founder and chief executive of Deel, said: "When we partnered with Arsenal last year, we said this was just the beginning. Arsenal and Deel are already working closely together, and the club will be rolling out Deel's platform across its workforce and HR operations in the coming months. 

"Having our name on one of the most iconic shirts in world football is a proud moment for everyone at Deel, and a reflection of a partnership built on shared global ambition. We're looking forward to next season and everything still to come." 

Deel’s original agreement with Arsenal includes prominent branding across the club’s 60,704-capacity Emirates Stadium home, as well as on social media and digital channels, during Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup games, as well as Arsenal Women’s fixtures in the top-flight WSL.

Arsenal are on course to win their first Premier League title in 22 years, with a two-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table with two games left to play in the 2025-26 season.

Deel replaces tourism board Visit Rwanda, Arsenal’s first-ever sleeve sponsor, which announced it would end its ties after the current campaign last November, ending an eight-year partnership which began in 2018 before being renewed in 2021.

At the time, Arsenal said the move was made as a result of Visit Rwanda diversifying its international operations, with the tourism brand entering the US through partnerships with the LA Rams and LA Clippers teams.

Visit Rwanda remains connected to Arsenal, however, with the LA Rams owned by US businessman Stan Kroenke, who acquired Arsenal in 2018.

The new deal ends a controversial partnership for Arsenal, with Visit Rwanda drawing protests from fans and human rights organizations since its announcement due to alleged human rights abuses perpetrated by the country’s government, with critics claiming the ruling party is using the partnerships to sportswash its violations.

Arsenal supporters expressed their displeasure over the club’s association with the brand on several occasions, with fan group Gunners For Peace staging a protest last April.

The deal also continues Arsenal's recent commercial partnership push, having agreed a new global partnership with social media platform Facebook and its WhatsApp messaging service last month, weeks after bringing in online trading site HFM as a global partner.

The club also secured a partnership with home security provider ADT earlier this year.

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