Kagame pulls off major sporting coup as Rwanda beats South Africa to Formula 1 deal

• Rwanda has secured a 10-year Formula 1 agreement, emerging ahead of South Africa in efforts to bring the championship back to Africa.

• Africa last hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1993 at South Africa's Kyalami Circuit.

• Rwanda plans to construct an FIA Grade 1 racing circuit in Bugesera, about 40 kilometres from Kigali.

• President Paul Kagame says the African Grand Prix will boost tourism, create jobs and develop motorsport talent across the region.

Rwanda has pulled off a major sporting victory after securing a 10-year deal to host Formula 1, bringing the world's biggest motorsport championship back to Africa for the first time in more than three decades.

The agreement, announced on October 13, 2026, will see Rwanda host the African Grand Prix from the early 2030s, ending a long wait for millions of motorsport fans across the continent.

Rwanda becomes the third African country selected to host Formula 1 after Morocco and South Africa. The last African Grand Prix took place at South Africa's Kyalami Circuit in 1993.

The deal gives Rwanda an edge over South Africa, which has also pursued the return of Formula 1 racing.

Under the agreement, Rwanda will build a new racing circuit in Bugesera, about 40 kilometres south of Kigali, near the new Kigali International Airport.

The track will meet FIA Grade 1 standards, the highest classification for international motor racing circuits.

The Rwanda Development Board will oversee the development as part of a wider project covering tourism, infrastructure, business and entertainment.

The circuit will follow Bugesera's natural landscape, using changes in elevation to create a challenging racing experience.

Beyond Formula 1, the facility will host other motorsport competitions, concerts, conferences and major international events.

President Paul Kagame welcomed the agreement, describing it as a historic achievement for Africa.

"Today belongs to Africa. For more than three decades, the world’s premier motorsport championship has raced without this continent, and that changes with this agreement," Kagame said.

He said the project would create jobs, attract investment and give young Africans opportunities to pursue careers in motorsport.

"Rwanda is proud to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, and to share this moment with more than 100 million fans across Africa, many of them young people who deserve to see the sport at home and to see themselves in it: as engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and, one day, drivers," he added.

Formula 1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said Rwanda's inclusion would extend the championship to every inhabited continent.

He credited Kagame, the Rwandan government and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for helping secure the agreement.

Domenicali said the championship wanted more than a racing event, with plans to support tourism, investment, skills development and local businesses.

Formula 1 estimates that Africa has more than 100 million fans, with nearly 60 per cent of followers in key sub-Saharan African markets aged below 35.

The agreement also strengthens Rwanda's growing reputation as a destination for international sporting events.

Kigali has hosted the Basketball Africa League, the 2024 FIA General Assemblies and Awards Ceremony, while Rwanda staged the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the governing body would work with Formula 1 and Rwanda to develop the new circuit and expand opportunities for African motorsport talent.

For Uganda and the wider East African region, Rwanda's selection places Formula 1 closer to home, potentially giving fans an opportunity to watch the world's leading drivers compete without travelling outside Africa.

However, the first race depends on the completion of the Bugesera circuit. Formula 1 has yet to announce the exact opening date or construction timetable.