Arsenal's Visit Rwanda sleeve sponsorship ran for eight seasons, from 2018 to 2026. The original agreement was for three years, and the partnership was renewed in 2021 before Arsenal and the Rwanda Development Board agreed to end it at the close of the 2025-26 season. The exact amount paid at every stage of the partnership was never publicly disclosed, but several figures have been reported or recorded in Arsenal's own accounts. Here's what the public record actually shows, plus how those figures compare with the deal that replaced it.
The deal's timeline and value
| Period | What happened | Reported value |
|---|
| 2018 | Original agreement signed. Arsenal's first-ever sleeve sponsor. | Three-year deal. Financial terms were not officially disclosed. |
| 2021 | Partnership renewed | Reported at up to £10 million a year |
| 2023-24 season | Value recorded in Arsenal's club accounts | $13.4 million, reported from the club's accounts |
| Final years (through 2025-26) | Partnership continued until its agreed conclusion | More than £10 million a year, according to reporting |
| Pre-announcement reporting (late 2025) | Reports assessed the value Arsenal could seek for a new sleeve sponsor | £15 million to £20 million a year, as a reported market expectation |
The original 2018 agreement was officially announced as a three-year partnership. Neither Arsenal nor the Rwanda Development Board disclosed the amount publicly at the time. Contemporary reports put the value at more than £30 million over three years, but Rwanda's then chief executive of the Rwanda Development Board said the actual amount was lower than the £30 million figure being reported. It's safer to treat £30 million as a reported estimate rather than the confirmed value of the original contract.
In 2021, Arsenal renewed the partnership in a new four-year agreement, according to Sports Business Journal. The publication reported the deal was understood to be worth up to £10 million a year. That's a reported figure, not a financial term Arsenal or the Rwanda Development Board disclosed themselves.
Arsenal's 2023-24 accounts provide another reference point. Sports Business Journal reported that the Visit Rwanda sponsorship brought in $13.4 million that financial year. That figure comes from the club's own accounts, though the public reporting doesn't establish that every year's payment under the wider contract was identical.
For the final years of the partnership, reporting continued to put the annual value at more than £10 million. BBC Sport described the agreement in November 2025 as reportedly worth more than £10 million a year. Arsenal and the Rwanda Development Board then announced the partnership would conclude at the end of the 2025-26 season.
There were also reports in 2025 about what Arsenal could seek from a replacement sponsor. The Sponsor's June 2025 market assessment valued Arsenal's sleeve sponsorship asset at £14.9 million, while later reporting put the club's expected target at £15 million to £20 million a year. These are estimates of market value or a reported target, not the terms of a signed agreement.
For comparison, the reported Visit Rwanda figure of around £10 million a year sat below the higher reported values tied to some other Premier League sleeve sponsorships. The exact ranking depends on the season and the contracts being compared, so this shouldn't be read as a fixed, league-wide table.
What replaced it, and for how much
Arsenal's new sleeve sponsor from the 2026-27 season is Deel, a global payroll and human resources platform. Arsenal officially announced Deel as its Official Sleeve Partner under a multi-year agreement, with its logo appearing on the left sleeve of the home, away and third shirts. Arsenal did not disclose the financial value of the agreement.
The deal has been widely reported at approximately £18 million a year, with performance-related bonuses potentially taking the total value to £25 million. Those figures come from media reporting, not from Arsenal or Deel, so they should be read as reported estimates rather than confirmed contract terms.
| Sponsor | Years active | Reported annual value |
|---|
| Visit Rwanda | 2018-2026 | Around £10 million in the later years |
| Deel | 2026-27 onward | Around £18 million, potentially up to £25 million with bonuses |
The Deel agreement also extends beyond the shirt sleeve. It follows Deel's earlier appointment as Arsenal's Official HR Platform Partner in December 2025. Arsenal's official announcement confirms the sleeve rights, and the broader partnership has included Deel branding and activity across the club's commercial channels.
Why the jump in value
Neither Arsenal nor Deel has made a public statement explaining the gap between the reported Visit Rwanda and Deel figures, so it would be speculative to name one specific cause.
What can be established is that Arsenal's sleeve asset was already being valued higher by the time the Visit Rwanda partnership was ending. The Sponsor valued the sleeve at £14.9 million in June 2025, and later reports put the expected value of a new agreement at £15 million to £20 million. The reported Deel figure of £18 million falls within that range.
The change also reflects a change in the sponsor itself. Visit Rwanda was a tourism brand using Arsenal's global audience to promote a destination. Deel is a commercial technology company using the partnership to promote its payroll and HR services. Arsenal's official announcement describes the Deel agreement as a multi-year sleeve partnership that builds on a relationship that began in 2025.
The honest summary: the public record doesn't establish exactly why Deel's reported fee is higher. What's documented is the progression itself, from a Visit Rwanda partnership reported at more than £10 million a year in its later period, to a Deel agreement reported at around £18 million a year, with performance payments that could push it higher still.
Related reading
For the full story on why the Visit Rwanda partnership ended, including the criticism around the sponsorship and the questions still open about its final months, see our detailed timeline of the Arsenal-Visit Rwanda ending. And if you just want the short version of what's on Arsenal's sleeve right now, see does Arsenal still have Visit Rwanda on their shirt?
Sources
- Rwanda Development Board, "Arsenal and Visit Rwanda to conclude landmark eight-season partnership in June 2026"
- Rwanda Development Board, "Rwanda unveils three-year partnership with Arsenal"
- SportsKhabri, "Arsenal extend Visit Rwanda sponsorship"
- Sports Business Journal, "Arsenal to end sleeve deal with Visit Rwanda"
- BBC Sport, "Arsenal to end eight-year sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda in June 2026"
- TBR Football, "One of the world's biggest companies wants to replace Visit Rwanda as Arsenal sleeve sponsor"
- Arsenal FC, "Deel and Arsenal announce multi-year sleeve partnership"
- Footy Headlines, "Arsenal Announces Deel Sleeve Sponsor Deal"
- Tribuna.com, "Who are Arsenal's new sleeve sponsors Deel and how much does it cost?"
- Deel, "Deel and Arsenal agree multi-year global partnership"
