Bayer Leverkusen back home following successful pre-season tour of Brazil

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!

Back home

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.

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Ten Hag's round-up

"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."

Rolfes on the squad

"The guys have trained very well and returned from their holidays in good shape. The spirit is also still very good. Everyone's ready to work hard. That's hugely important at this stage, where you're laying the foundation for the season. It's clear that this isn't the final shape of the squad. We're trying to make some things happen."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Simon Rolfes on the training camp in Brazil

"All in all it was a very good training camp. The climate was fantastic for training. Plus there's the heartfelt nature of the people. You obviously sometimes need to be a bit flexible with things in South America, but on the whole it all worked out."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Xhaka “too important for us to lose” – Ten Hag

After after final training in Rio about the future of Granit Xhaka, Leverkusen's boss was firm in his stance: "This club has lost three important players and we won’t lose more. Granit is a leader. He signed here for five years and still has three to go. He’s too important for us to sell him."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Homeward bound

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.

The final day in Rio

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.

Maza on Ten Hag and Leverkusen ambitions

The teenage midfielder spoke about his hopes for the new season, and on working under the Dutchman: "He's a great coach, very tactically intelligent. The training sessions are long and intense; I've already chatted with him a bit. He's very nice, helps me, and gives me lots of good tips. I hope I can show wit, determination, and fighting spirit—and help with assists and goals. I definitely feel most comfortable in the attacking center, in the number 10 position".

© IMAGO/Marco Bader

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Watch: Quansah on starting out with Leverkusen

The defender talks about getting to work under Erik ten Hag, meeting his new teammates and which Brazilian star he looked up to.

Schick: "Ten Hag knows what he wants"

Speaking to German publication kicker out in Brazil of his first impressions of Leverkusen's new head coach, striker Patrik Schick said: "He knows what he wants from the team and has won titles already. He knows what he is doing. He is demanding a lot from us and wants us to play with high intensity. He also knows where he wants to play me, how he would like to see me play and which positions he can see me taking."

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Tapsoba talks filling Tah's boots

Speaking after training on Monday, the defender told media: "We're in Brazil, have new players and a very good new coach who likes to build up from the back. It's now my time to lead from the front. I'll give my all to be the leader in our defence. Jona [Jonathan Tah] also told me he expects me to take the next step and take on responsibility."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

What's coming on Monday?

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.

Derby visit

Sunday evening brought yet another special trip as the whole team took in the Rio derby - known as Fla-Flu - between Flamengo and Fluminense at the iconic Maracana. The hosts won 1-0 thanks to a late goal from ex-Fluminense man Pedro.

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Familiar face!

Brazil's FIFA World Cup-winning legend and senior senator for Rio de Janeiro, Romário, was happy to pose with Bayer Leverkusen's new jersey at an event in the city on Sunday.

© @Bayer04

Palacios looking forward

Speaking to bayer04.de, Argentinian Exequiel Palacios gave his assessment of the comings and goings at Leverkusen in recent weeks. "There's been lots of changes, including in key positions," the midfielder explained. "We're ready for the preseason, have a good team and will prepare ourselves as best as possible for the new campaign to be as successful as possible."

© IMAGO/Jerry Andre

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Landmark visit

Watch as Bayer 04 tour Christ the Redeemer, one of Brazil's most important landmarks.

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B04 blind ranking!

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.

First sight of Kofane (l.) and Quansah (r.)

© Bayer Leverkusen

New signings join rest of squad

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.

Making new friends

Flamengo coach Filipe Luís met Erik ten Hag, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes at the end of Leverkusen's training session on Saturday. The squad will go to watch Flamengo's derby against Fluminense on Sunday evening in the legendary Maracanã.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Brazil = beaches

Piero Hincapié (pictured) and Jeanuel Belocian completed an injury recovery training session with a twist - it was held on the beach.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

It's been a while!

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.

Weekend plans...

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.

Redeemer in Red

After the afternoon's friendly, Leverkusen's travelling party made their way into the centre of Rio for their "Black-Red Night" featuring some Brazilian atmosphere as the squad met with workers from Bayer AG in the country. The city's famous landmark, Christ the Redeemer, was also lit up in red for the event.

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Watch: The first goal of the Ten Hag era

German-American forward Montrell Culbreath scored the first goal of the Erik ten Hag era at Bayer Leverkusen.

More from Ten Hag...

Speaking of the introduction of senior players like Patrik Schick, Alejandro Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich after an hour, the Dutchman added: "It was a totally different game. We dominated and created lots of chances, but we had our senior players out there. You see it's a different level." It was with those players on that Cullbreath scored the Werkself's consolation.

© IMAGO/Marco Bader

Ten Hag reacts to friendly loss

"I couldn't care less about results in pre-season. It's about what I saw. I knew beforehand that we couldn't field a good team for the full 90 minutes. The most important thing was fitness. There was no connection, no team [in the first 60 minutes], but they'd never played together before."

© IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Leverkusen well beaten

German-American teenager Montrell Culbreath scored a late consolation goal as an experimental Leverkusen lost 5-1 to Flamengo's U20s on Friday. Ten Hag gave a starting debut to new signing Mark Flekken, but first-team staples Lukáš Hrádecký, Alejandro Grimaldo, Patrik Schick and Granit Xhaka began the contest among the substitutes.

© IMAGO/Fabio Teixeira

Leverkusen line-up

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')

Coming up on Friday...

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.

Ten Hag on Friday's friendly

"Flamengo are known for bringing through lots of good players. Their U20s are a very good team and are fully in the middle of their season. It's our first game. We're looking forward to the encounter."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Ten Hag on being in Brazil

"It's a pleasure to be here and to prepare for the new season. It gives us energy. It's exciting because it's the first trip with a new team."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Ten Hag: "Good is never enough"

"We need to work hard every day and want to return to Leverkusen from this training camp as a better team. Our attitude always has to be that good is never enough. We want to start a new era with that mindset."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Ten Hag talks goals

Speaking at Thursday's media event, the new Leverkusen boss said: "I know the structure of the club well. Bayer have been very successful in recent years, and now there's a big change, so strong organisation with good management is even more important in order to have sustained success. I want to bring in new energy and get the best out of it all."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

"Important for me to be hear"

Speaking after the session, new defender Quansah said: "It's been an intense few days for me. The journey was long and I was still a bit tired yesterday, but I was warmly welcomed and am glad to be here. A tour like this is special, and it's important for me to be here to get to know my teammates and everyone around the team."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Quansah and Kofane dive in

Having arrived in Brazil on Wednesday, new signings Jarell Quansah and Christian Kofane fully joined in with training for the first time as Leverkusen players on Thursday, kicking things off with a few rounds of football tennis and a rondo.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Bayer football school

There were smiles galore in Belford Roxo, to the north or Rio, as over 130 children aged seven to 17 took part in a camp with former Leverkusen players Paulo Sérgio and Rodrigo Chagas, plus Brazilian football influencer Brabogordinho. "Projects like these open eyes and show that children need these sorts of projects to keep on the straight and narrow. I'm proud to be a part of it," said former defender Chagas.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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Arthur and Mark Flekken reflect

The Leverkusen defender Arthur and new goalkeeper Mark Flekken reflect on life at Bayer 04 and the team's training camp.

Thursday's plans

There's plenty more to come on Day 3 of Leverkusen's tour. The players start off with another training session in the morning. There's then a planned event with some club legends down on the beach in Ipanema (good luck getting that song out of your head today) before a media event with Erik ten Hag and some club bosses ahead of Friday's friendly match.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

An afternoon with Paulo

Away from training, some 30 fans got the chance to meet club and local legend Paulo Sérgio at a restaurant in town, including Currywurst and some anecdotes from the 1994 World Cup winner.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Double session

Ten Hag put his players through their paces twice on Wednesday with a morning and afternoon session, but there were still plenty of smiles on show, especially at the impromptu post-training teqball competition.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Arthur welcomes family

Once on the books at Flamengo, whose facilities Leverkusen are using, the Brazilian full-back knows these parts well and even has his family at training watching him. Speaking after the session, the 22-year-old said: "It means a lot to me to start pre-season here in Brazil. It's my home and my family are now here in Rio. That makes me very happy. We want to give our best for a good season."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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Watch: Leverkusen arrive in Brazil

Xhaka transfer talk

Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has commented on speculation linking Granit Xhaka with a summer move away from the BayArena. Newly promoted English Premier League club Sunderland and Saudi Pro League newcomers Neom SC are reportedly interested in Xhaka, who was an integral part of the Leverkusen team that won a domestic double in 2024/25 and last season's Supercup. Speaking to German daily Bild, Rolfes admitted "there's interest" in the Switzerland captain, 32, "but nothing more concrete than that."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

1:00

Watch: Meet Leverkusen's new signings

Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane are among the newest recruits at Bayer Leverkusen.

Wednesday's plan

After settling in on day one, Ten Hag's men face a double dose on their second day with two training sessions planned at Flamengo's facilities in the morning and afternoon. Paulo Sérgio will also be there again for a meet and greet with fans.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Andrich: "We're starting from scratch"

Speaking after Tuesday evening's first training session, midfielder Robert Andrich said: "We've got a new coach, we're starting from scratch and everyone has the chance to show they want to be in the team. That's also my clear goal. We'll use the 10 days here well as a group to get to know each other better. I've never been this far away for a training camp. The furthest was Austria [laughs]. The time zone is a difference, as well as the hotel on the beach. I think we'll quickly find our rhythm."

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Club legend welcomes Leverkusen to Brazil

Former Brazil forward and FIFA World Cup winner Paulo Sérgio, who represented Leverkusen 150 times and won the Bundesliga (twice), DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich, gave his old team a warm welcome to his homeland today.

"I'm very happy you're all finally here," he told the club's website. "In my homeland. Above all, I'd like to thank Fernando [Carro] and Simon [Rolfes] who made the whole thing possible. The organisation has been brilliant and you will all have a great time here!"

© Bayer Leverkusen

On the beach

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.

Meanwhile, in Leverkusen...

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."

Touchdown in Rio

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.

On their way

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.

García staying behind

Aleix García will stay in Leverkusen to recover from a minor muscle injury and will rejoin the team after the trip. New signing Malik Tillman has not been named on the club's official squad list for the tour.

© DFL/Getty Images/Neil Baynes

Ten Hag on heading to Brazil

"We want to take the first steps in our team building there, really grow together. It'll be a super tour. We're all really looking forward to it."

© IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Departure day

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.

New man in

On the eve of their departure, Leverkusen announced yet another (young) new signing in USMNT forward Malik Tillman from PSV Eindhoven. The 23-year-old, who was previously on the books in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, joins Erik ten Hag's side on a five-year deal.

© IMAGO/Maria Lysaker

Diagnostic tests

New signings joined players back from holiday in Leverkusen on Sunday as the squad got put through their paces in the customary performance diagnostics that sees the club's medical staff evaluate their fitness after the break.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Bayer boss excited

Club CEO Fernando Carro has spoken to the Leverkusen club website ahead of the team's departure, saying: "It’s a huge opportunity to further establish the club globally in a key region and have a fresh start to this new chapter for the team under Erik ten Hag. It‘s an incredible market with passion and love for football. There’s a deep connection to it from our side. Bayer Leverkusen has a long history with players from Brazil."

© INA FASSBENDER

Christian Kofane adds to Bayer 04 firepower

Before Tillman's arrival today, The Werkself confirmed the arrival of Cameroonian teen striker Christian Kofane from Spanish second-division side Albacete, on a four-year-deal.

© IMAGO/Francisco Macia

Malik Tillman has arrived

The versatile American attacker returns to the Bundesliga and joins the Werkself on a five-year-deal from PSV Eindhoven.

© DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga

1:23

Watch: Leverkusen's top 5 goals from 2024/25

New threads

The Werkself will debut their new away kit, released on Friday, in their friendly against Flamengo's U20s. The crimson and creme design joins their new black and red home shirt.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

1:36

Watch: Ten Hag's first day at Leverkusen

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.

11:02

Watch: Common Ground - Brazil

The Bundesliga is renovating football grounds all over the world. In 2023, we travelled with Bundesliga and Leverkusen legend Zé Roberto deep into the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

One friendly match

The 2024 Bundesliga champions will play one game in Rio as they take on Flamengo's U20 side on Friday, 18 July (2.30pm local time/ 7.30pm CEST). The match at the Estádio da Gávea - the training facilities for the Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup - against the two-time defending U20 Copa Libertadores champions will be the first time we get to see the Werkself under new coach Ten Hag.

Academy in São Paulo

Ahead of their tour, Leverkusen officially opened their new football academy in São Paulo, which will be run by Sérgio, who described the project's inauguration as "one of the happiest moments" of his life. It's the first Bundesliga academy to be established in Brazil and is aimed at enhancing the club's links to a country that has provided them so many big players down the years.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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Watch: Leverkusen's best Brazilians goals

Bayer x Brazil

There's arguably no other club in Germany that boasts a bond with Brazil quite like Leverkusen. The Werkself have long been a stepping stone for notable Brazilians in Europe, with over 20 players crossing the Atlantic to call the unassuming German city home, from Paulo Sérgio (pictured) to Emerson, Lúcio, Jorginho, Zé Roberto, Wendell, Juan and Renato Augusto through to Arthur now.

© Bernd Lauter

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Following Leipzig

Leverkusen are the second Bundesliga team to head to Brazil this summer, after RB Leipzig completed a post-season tour to São Paulo. That included a 3-1 friendly win against Neymar's Santos. You can watch highlights of that game here.

Taking in Rio

The Werkself will be based in Rio de Janeiro and train at Flamengo's Ninho do Urubu facilities. "We're excited about an intense start to pre-season in an exciting and completely new environment. The climate this time of year is ideal for us, and the training facilities at Flamengo are excellent," said Bayer 04 managing director for sport Simon Rolfes.

© IMAGO/Vitali Kliuiev

Olá Brasil!

Bayer Leverkusen are off to the land of samba and jogo bonito this summer as they prepare for the 2025/26 season under Erik ten Hag. You can follow everything the 2024 double winners get up to during their 10-day tour from 14 to 24 July here in our blog.

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