Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen became the first Bundesliga club to stage a pre-season tour in South America as they visited the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro from 14 to 24 July 2025.
Under the motto 'Esquenta!' ('warm up'), Leverkusen prepared for the new campaign at Flamengo's Ninho do Urubu (Eagle's Nest) training facility in the Vargem Grande neighbourhood. Various media engagements and a high-profile friendly match were also part of the 2023/24 double winners' plans, alongside further activities involving Bayer's team of Brazilian legends.
Bayer played Flamengo's U20s - the two-time defending U20 Copa Libertadores champions - on 18 July. The match ended in a 5-1 loss for Erik ten Hag's men, with teenaged German-American Montrell Culbreath scoring a late consolation for the Bundesliga club. The squad subsequenty paid a visit to the world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Watch: The first goal of the Ten Hag era
Leverkusen have been working fastidiously on building their Brazilian connection in recent years. Die Werkself visited South America's largest country as part of their 2024 Trophy Tour, before launching Portuguese-language digital channels (Instagram, website, WhatsApp) in May 2025 and announcing the opening of the Bayer 04 Football Academy Sao Paulo. The centre opened just before their trip and will be run by Paulo Sérgio, one of 20 Brazilians to have played for the Rhineland club.
Watch: Paulo Sérgio in Brazil
Leverkusen's Brazil tour was their first under new head coach Ten Hag. The Dutchman replaced Xabi Alonso, who left the BayArena for former club Real Madrid, in May. The 2023/24 Bundesliga champions finished runners-up last season, 13 points behind Bayern Munich.
They return to competitive action in the first round of the DFB Cup against Sonnenhof Großaspach on 15 August, before kicking off their Bundesliga campaign eight days later at home to Hoffenheim.
Recap Leverkusen's trip to Brazil below!
After almost 12 hours in the air, the Leverkusen squad touched back down in Cologne just after 8.30am on Thursday to officially bring their pre-season tour to an end. They have four more friendly matches before the season begins, taking on Bochum (27 July), Fortuna Sittard (1 August), Pisa (5 August) and Chelsea (8 August) as they look to finetune things further.
"It's the first days with everyone. I've been able to get a detailed picture of the players and their qualities. An intense time like here is very helpful for that, also to get to know the players and their personalities better. The team did what was asked of them. It was very hard and intense. We've laid a solid foundation. We also didn't lose anyone to injuries. The spirit in the team is excellent, even after nine or 10 days of hard work."
Leverkusen's work in Brazil is done. Wednesday morning will see the players complete an activation and stretching session in the team hotel before heading to the airport. They'll fly through the night before landing back in Cologne on Thursday morning.
Tuesday marked Bayer's last full day in the city of Rio, with the squad then preparing to return to Germany. Leverkusen officials, alongside former player Paulo Sergio, made sure to get a trip to Sugar Loaf Mountain in before the end of the tour.
The defender talks about getting to work under Erik ten Hag, meeting his new teammates and which Brazilian star he looked up to.
The Werkself only have three more days left in Brazil. They kick off the week with another morning training session at Flamengo's facilities before taking some time for themselves in the afternoon. A small club delegation will also be going to visit 'Bola Pra Frente', which was founded by World Cup winner and ex-Leverkusen defender Jorginho. For 23 years, it has worked in vulnerable communities, using sport and culture as tools to develop learning skills, and in 2024 was nominated for the 'Sport for Good' category at the Laureus Awards.
Watch as Bayer 04 tour Christ the Redeemer, one of Brazil's most important landmarks.
Arthur, Mark Flekken and B04 legend Paulo Sergio rank some very famous Brazilian names during Bayer Leverkusen's pre-season tour of the South American nation.
Summer signings Jarell Quansah (from Liverpool) and Christian Kofane (from Albacete), trained with their new team-mates for the first time on Saturday after training individually on Thursday.
Leverkusen's team manager Hans-Peter Lehnhoff met up with Rodrigo Chagas and Zé Elias, who he hadn't seen since appearing in the same Bayer team back in the 1990s, along with Paulo Sergio.
German-American forward Montrell Culbreath scored the first goal of the Erik ten Hag era at Bayer Leverkusen.
It's set to be a quieter day for the Werkself with just a morning training session on the cards. The players will then be able to relax a bit in the afternoon. Sunday will also involve a training session in the morning before the squad head to Rio's iconic Maracana to watch the local derby between Flamengo and Fluminense.
Flekken (Lomb 36'/Hradecky 60') - Hawighorst (Tapsoba 60'), Pohl, Arthur (Andrich 60') - Turay (Grimaldo 60'), J. Mensah (Xhaka 60'), Tape (Palacios 60'), Domnic (Culbreath 60') - Adli (Schick 60'), Boniface (Sarco 36’/Buck 60'), Hofmann (Tella 60')
It's the first chance we'll get to see Ten Hag's Leverkusen as he makes his bow on the touchline in today's friendly against Flamengo's U20s. Kick-off in Rio is at 2.30pm (7.30pm CEST). We'll bring you updates from that later in the day.
The Leverkusen defender Arthur and new goalkeeper Mark Flekken reflect on life at Bayer 04 and the team's training camp.
Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane are among the newest recruits at Bayer Leverkusen.
Leverkusen have certainly made themselves at home in Rio since landing this morning. The team immediately hit the beach, where they've been sipping on some fresh coconut and enjoying the beautiful Brazilian weather. Not a bad first day.
Back home, the departure of Matěj Kovář - on an initial loan move to PSV - was confirmed this morning. There was also an emotional farewell for Florian Wirtz at the BayArena, where he said goodbye to Leverkusen fans.
"Dear fans, unfortunately I wasn't able to say goodbye to you at the last game," he said. That's why I'm glad I can sit here once more in the BayArena and say a few words to you.
"I still remember when I transferred here five and a half years ago as a 16-year-old kid with big dreams. I've had so many experiences I could never have imagined."
Leverkusen's players have landed in Brazil, where they will likely have to shake off some jet lag before their first light session later today.
Leverkusen departed Germany on the evening of Monday 14 July and are set to land in Rio de Janeiro in the morning of Tuesday 15. After getting settled in their hotel, they are due to hold their first training session in the afternoon.
Players will spend Monday morning completing some more medical tests before heading to the airport for their evening flight to Rio. They're expected to touch down in Brazil in the early hours. Their first training session will then be on Tuesday afternoon at Flamengo's Ninho do Urubu facilities.
The Dutchman took charge of his first training session as Werkself boss last Monday as a new era began at the BayArena following the unprecedented success that Xabi Alonso brought to the club. Ten Hag put a group of 20 players through their paces on their return to pre-season.