English Premier League soccer side Aston Villa have brought in Visit Rwanda as their new front-of-shirt sponsor, through a deal described as the most important sponsorship agreement in club history.
Visit Rwanda, the tourism board and arm of the Central African country's government, is no stranger to Premier League sponsorship deals - for the last eight years, it has been the sleeve sponsor of current champions Arsenal, with that deal having ended at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.
Other Visit Rwanda tie-ups in European soccer include deals with French champions Paris Saint-Germain and with Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid.
It will replace Betano as Villa's main shirt sponsor - as was unveiled today - with that betting and gaming brand owned by Kaizen Gaming having been the Birmingham club's premier commercial partner for the last two campaigns. The deal is coming to an end with Premier League rules now banning clubs from placing betting brands on the front of their shirts, as of 2026-27.
The Athletic publication has reported that the deal (which also sees Visit Rwanda become Aston Villa's tourism partner and coffee provider) is the most lucrative in club history, up in value from what Betano was paying, and that if bonus clauses are met, it could be worth just over £20 million ($26.8 million) annually.
Having won the second-tier pan-European UEFA Europa League last season, Villa will compete in the financially rewarding UEFA Champions League in 2026-27, thus giving all major partners significantly more exposure than would otherwise be the case.
Francesco Calvo, Villa's president of business operations, commented: "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."
The deal also stretches across the Aston Villa women's and youth sides, in addition to the men's first team.
Janet Karemera, chief executive at the Rwanda Convention Bureau, added: "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."
In terms of potential public reaction to this deal, the Arsenal-Vist Rwanda deal was repeatedly criticized by human rights groups, with Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), writing to Arsenal early last year, for example, urging them to end their agreement in February after an invasion of DRC territory involving Rwanda-backed rebel group M23.
The invasion led the UK government to suspend aid to Rwanda in the same month over its support for M23. Rwandan officials have always publicly stated that any involvement they have in DR Congo is to protect their security interests.
For Villa, meanwhile, other major club sponsors include Adidas as kit supplier, with that deal also having been in place since mid-2024.
Early May saw the Birmingham club announce a 12-year partnership with US-based ticketing operator Sports Illustrated Tickets (SIT).
