Aston Villa have announced a landmark multi-year partnership with Visit Rwanda, naming the destination brand as the club’s new principal partner and official front-of-shirt partner ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The agreement also sees Visit Rwanda become Aston Villa’s official tourism partner and official coffee provider, marking one of the club’s most significant commercial partnerships as it continues to expand its global brand.
Under the deal, the Visit Rwanda logo will appear on the front of the playing shirts worn by Aston Villa’s men’s, women’s and academy teams across all domestic and European competitions. The partnership extends beyond kit branding to include stadium visibility at Villa Park, digital and international marketing campaigns, fan engagement initiatives and hospitality activations designed to promote Rwanda as a destination for tourism, investment and business.
The collaboration also features a long-term football development programme, with the two organisations set to work together on coaching initiatives, leadership education, community projects and professional development opportunities aimed at supporting the growth of football in Rwanda.
Francesco Calvo, President of Business Operations, said, “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.”
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), added, “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.
“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 partnership forms part of Visit Rwanda’s broader international sports marketing strategy, which has included high-profile agreements with clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich, as well as partnerships across North American professional sports. The initiative aims to position Rwanda as a leading destination for tourism, investment and major events through global sporting platforms.
However, the announcement has attracted criticism from Amnesty International UK, which argued the sponsorship contributes to the “sportswashing” of Rwanda’s international image amid concerns surrounding the country’s human rights record and alleged involvement in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rwandan government has consistently rejected those allegations.
