From next season, Visit Rwanda will not appear on the sleeve of Arsenal’s shirts.
The club announced on Wednesday that they will end their eight-year partnership with the Rwanda Development Board in June 2026.
Many Arsenal fans will be relieved to see the association with Visit Rwanda conclude, with the relationship coming under considerable scrutiny due to the Rwandan government being accused of serial abuses by multiple human rights groups. Rwanda’s backing of M23 militia in neighbouring Congo has amplified those concerns.
A recent survey among the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust showed that more than 90 per cent of respondents wanted the partnership to end, with 67 per cent voting to negotiate an immediate exit from the deal. A further 23 per cent were prepared to wait until the contract’s expiry next summer.
An early termination was never particularly likely for Arsenal — extricating themselves from the Visit Rwanda agreement would have been incredibly complex, as well as potentially leaving the club with a significant financial shortfall. But Arsenal have now made clear their intention to go in a different direction.
From 2026-27, Arsenal will have a new sleeve sponsor. For their part, Visit Rwanda says it is now “focused on expanding that momentum into new sports and new markets”.
The news came as a surprise to some. The Athletic reported in October that Arsenal were in discussions over an extension to the Visit Rwanda agreement. Those talks have been ongoing for around a year, as Arsenal weighed up their options regarding the future of their sleeve sponsorship.
The Visit Rwanda sponsorship will remain on Arsenal shirts until the end of the season (George Wood/Getty Images)
A renewal with Rwanda was not out of the question, according to sources close to the negotiations, who, like all those spoken to for this article, remain anonymous to protect relationships. Arsenal had a strong partnership with the East African nation’s development board, one that was delivering against the aims of promoting conservation causes and a burgeoning luxury tourism industry. Arsenal have helped promote Rwanda as an international sporting hub in Africa, as well as assisting in several grassroots football initiatives.
There were financial realities to consider. The sleeve sponsorship with Visit Rwanda was lucrative, offering sustainable income that helped provide a platform for Arsenal’s sporting ambitions. Rwanda President Paul Kagame is a passionate Arsenal fan, and it was felt that Visit Rwanda could be a long-term partner.
Arsenal are operating in a highly competitive environment and are eager to maximise every possible resource, and the sport’s financial framework means these sponsorship deals have a significant impact on Arsenal’s ability to invest on the field.
There is a finite list of brands with the capability and resources to rival the deal on offer from Rwanda. Arsenal were aware that finding a partner who could match Visit Rwanda’s financial commitment would be challenging.
But the club were eager to explore alternatives. Staff were instructed to seek out other potential partners to strengthen Arsenal’s hand and give them a clear view of their options.
The club were aware of the public relations issues around the association and the mounting unease among fans. Arsenal’s partnership with Visit Rwanda has been highly controversial.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report in 2023 stated that Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front “continued to wage a campaign against real and perceived opponents of the government” and that “over a dozen political opposition members are in prison”, alleging that many are “being prosecuted or have been convicted on spurious grounds”.
Supporter concerns have increased in recent years. In April 2022, the British government proposed that any asylum seeker entering the UK “illegally” could be sent to Rwanda — a policy the UK’s Supreme Court ultimately deemed unlawful.
Arsenal fans before the Champions League semi-final first leg against PSG in April (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
In the same year, Rwandan forces entered the Democratic Republic of Congo to support the M23 rebel group. In February 2025, the UK government suspended aid to Rwanda over the issues in the Eastern part of DCR.
Last season, fan group Gunners for Peace unveiled a satirical billboard outside the Emirates Stadium with the slogan “Visit Tottenham”.
“This is the same regime that’s funding a brutal militia with thousands of victims in Eastern Congo,” read their statement. “We think anything — literally anything — would be better than Visit Rwanda. Even Tottenham.”
The concerns for Arsenal went beyond bad press and fan protests — significant international sanctions against Rwanda could have jeopardised their commercial arrangement, which may have left a significant hole in the club’s revenue.
Arsenal explored ways of mitigating that risk, but those were costly and complex. That, added to the potential reputational risks, had to be weighed in the debate.
The time pressure on Arsenal’s decision came from the manufacturing process. If Arsenal want to have a sleeve sponsor incorporated into next season’s kit, they need clarity by the turn of the year at the very latest.
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arsenal have a kit manufacturing deal and primary partnership with Adidas that runs until 2030 — the club have had to be mindful of the manufacturing timeline, and of the huge issues that would be caused for the kit supplier if the Visit Rwanda partnership ended unexpectedly.
Ultimately, Arsenal have chosen to go in a new direction for their sleeve sponsorship. Arsenal’s chief commercial officer, Juliet Slot, brought an offer to the table that, as a package, proved more attractive. Slot is credited with leading a drive that improved commercial revenue from £169.3m to £218.3m ($222m to $285m) in the latest set of accounts.
With a compelling alternative now on the table, Arsenal’s board — fresh with an influx of new blood — has opted for change. Arsenal have fielded interest from a variety of brands, including technology and cryptocurrency companies. The identity of their new partner is not yet known, but a formal agreement is said to be close.
Visit Rwanda are looking to the American market and will maintain a relationship with Arsenal’s owners, Kroenke Sports & Enterprises, through their partnerships with the LA Rams and So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Arsenal’s own partnership with the Rwanda Development Board will continue until the end of the season. Who knows, Arsenal may yet lift a Premier League title with Visit Rwanda on their sleeve.
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