Realistic Candidates For Arsenal’s New Sleeve Sponsor As Visit Rwanda Partnership Ends

A look at the candidates for the new Arsenal sleeve sponsor after it was confirmed their partnership with Visit Rwanda will end in 2026.

The deal with Visit Rwanda has been a constant presence on the shirt since 2018, but the club now find themselves in a very different place from when it began.

They are winning again, attracting bigger audiences, and thus are in a position to charge more.

With several global brands already knocking, Arsenal’s next sleeve sponsor could become one of the most valuable in the Premier League.

Here’s a look at the realistic contenders, the numbers involved, and why the timing works in Arsenal’s favour.

Why Arsenal’s Visit Rwanda deal is ending

The partnership has been criticised throughout its eight years, most recently amid political tensions involving Rwanda’s alleged support of militia activity in the Dominican Republic of Congo.

The country denies wrongdoing, but the negative attention has been unavoidable.

Arsenal insist the decision to go their separate ways is simply down to Visit Rwanda “diversifying its international operations”.

Either way, the separation comes as the club attempt to ramp up commercial revenue and distance themselves from off-pitch controversy.

How much Arsenal want from their next sleeve sponsor

The current deal is worth about £9–10 million a year, placing Arsenal behind both Manchester clubs and roughly level with Spurs.

Internally, the expectation is to move that figure into the £15–20 million range – a jump that reflects the team’s on-field improvement, increased global visibility, and the club’s wider commercial plan, which aims to double secondary sponsorship income by 2026.

A fee around £18m would place Arsenal among the top three sleeve deals in the league, behind only United and City.

Arsenal Sleeve Sponsor Candidates

SAP

The clearest and most credible link so far is SAP, the German software giant valued at more than £250 billion.

They previously worked with the City Football Group but allowed that deal to lapse earlier this year, and have since been mentioned by industry figures as a company exploring Arsenal’s sleeve slot.

SAP would tick several of Arsenal’s boxes: global reach, financial weight, and strong B2B appeal. Tech firms have become increasingly active in secondary inventory, and the sleeve position offers consistent broadcast exposure without the cost of a front-of-shirt deal.

A return bidder?

Visit Rwanda had been in discussions about an extension earlier in 2025, but the political climate and Arsenal’s desire for a cleaner, more commercially powerful partner makes a renewal unlikely.

At most, it would have been a short-term bridge, and the recent announcement effectively shuts the door on that scenario.

Existing partners moving up the ladder

Sobha Realty, who already hold naming rights to Arsenal’s training ground, are one of the few current partners with both the capital and incentive to take a bigger slice of the inventory.

Whether they want to commit to a more prominent positioning is another matter, but they are one of the organisations already inside Arsenal’s commercial ecosystem.

Other tech firms

If SAP don’t progress, Arsenal will almost certainly remain in the tech space.

Salesforce, Oracle, Samsung Enterprise and several major Indian IT firms are all the types of companies that have spent heavily on sport sponsorship over the past five years.

Arsenal’s current status and regular Champions League exposure makes them the sort of club these brands would typically target.

Finance and fintech

The finance sector is still one of the most prominent bidders in Premier League sponsorship markets.

Revolut, eToro, Plus500, and Crypto.com all circulate regularly in industry conversations, though Arsenal remain notably cautious in the wake of previous crypto-related backlash.

Traditional financial companies such as HSBC, Standard Chartered, or VISA are less likely for the sleeve but shouldn’t be entirely ruled out. All have engaged in football marketing before, though usually through broader campaigns rather than shirt inventory.

Fintech companies, however, continue to view Premier League partnerships as highly efficient acquisition channels. The interest will come, but it’s whether Arsenal feel the risk-reward from a PR perspective is necessarily worth it.

Gambling companies

The Premier League’s ban of betting company sponsorships only applies to front-of-shirt deals, so sleeves are technically still allowed them.

Arsenal already have an official betting partnership with Betway, which naturally puts them in the conversation if the club were to consider a gambling brand for the sleeve.

Betway have been scaling their football portfolio for years, including deals with West Ham, Atletico Madrid and several African national teams.

Companies like Betano, Bet365, and Stake have the budget and no doubt the appetite to enter the frame here, but it tends to be clubs outside the ‘big six’ that lean on these partnerships heavily.

However, Arsenal would receive sizeable offers if they were open to them. Whether they would align themselves with another high-risk sector so soon after distancing themselves from a politically sensitive partnership is a separate debate.

Travel and airlines

While Arsenal may want a break from the tourism-board category, the travel sector remains one of the most stable and well-funded in global sponsorship.

Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Saudia have all shown willingness to invest heavily in football properties, particularly those with strong international recognition.

Tourism boards shouldn’t be discounted entirely either. Visit Saudi, Dubai Tourism, Qatar Tourism, and Malta Tourism have each explored major football partnerships in recent cycles, though some come with political implications the club may want to avoid.

How much do Premier League clubs earn from sleeve sponsors?

To put Arsenal’s ambitions into context, here’s what others currently earn:

A new deal for Arsenal could reposition them into the £15m+ bracket for sleeve sponsors, reflecting their current competitive and commercial standing.

When will Arsenal announce their new sleeve sponsor?

Sleeve sponsorship deals usually get confirmed shortly before the new kit launch cycle, typically between April and July.

With the Visit Rwanda deal ending in 2026, Arsenal can take advantage of extended negotiations and allow several brands to bid.

Expect concrete movement either in mid-2025 or early 2026, depending on how intense the bidding becomes.

Ultimately, multiple global brands are already circling to be Arsenal’s new sleeve sponsor. At the moment, a technology or software giant is the most likely outcome, with SAP the current standout candidate.