The agreement, announced on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, also names Visit Rwanda as Aston Villa’s exclusive Official Tourism Partner and Official Coffee Provider, extending Rwanda’s use of elite sport as a platform to market the country to international audiences.
Under the partnership, the Visit Rwanda brand will appear on the playing shirts of Aston Villa’s men’s, women’s and youth teams in all competitions, including the Premier League and European tournaments. The agreement also includes branding at Villa Park, international marketing campaigns, digital content and fan engagement activities designed to showcase Rwanda’s tourism attractions, hospitality sector, investment opportunities and conference industry.
The collaboration brings together Rwanda, popularly known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” and Birmingham, historically referred to as the “City of a Thousand Trades,” with both parties describing the partnership as one built on shared values of enterprise, innovation and ambition.
Beyond commercial branding, the partnership will include football development programmes, coach education, academy exchanges, charitable initiatives and leadership programmes in Rwanda. Scholarships and professional development opportunities for talented Rwandans will also form part of the agreement as Rwanda continues to position sport as a driver of economic growth and skills development.
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), said the sponsorship reflects Rwanda’s ambition to reach global audiences through one of the world’s most influential sporting platforms.
“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,” Karemera said.
She noted that the agreement builds on eight years of Visit Rwanda’s engagement in the United Kingdom, one of Rwanda’s key tourism source markets, and is expected to help expand the country’s reach 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,” she added.
Aston Villa President of Business Operations Francesco Calvo welcomed the partnership, describing it as another step in the club’s growing international footprint.
“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,” Calvo said.
“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 activities through tourism, investment and sporting development.”
The Aston Villa agreement further expands Visit Rwanda’s sports sponsorship portfolio, which already includes partnerships with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, Spanish club Atlético de Madrid, the Basketball Africa League, NBA franchise the Los Angeles Clippers and NFL team the Los Angeles Rams.
The announcement comes as Rwanda continues to post strong economic growth. According to figures released by the Rwanda Development Board, the country’s economy expanded by 9.4 percent in 2025, while tourism and conference activities generated a record $685 million in revenues, supported by 1.49 million visitors.
Rwanda has set ambitious targets to increase annual tourism revenues to $1.1 billion and double private investment to $4.6 billion by 2029. Officials say the Aston Villa partnership will support those goals by leveraging football’s global appeal to attract visitors, investors and business opportunities while promoting sports development in Rwanda.
Leave a Reply