RB Leipzig set for first US tour in summer 2024

Family Business in New York: RB Leipzig, two-time Germann Cup winner, will leave Europe for preseason for the first time in its history, with a trip to the USA planned from July 28 to August 4. 

During the US tour, Marco Rose and his team will set up base camp at the New York Red Bulls Academy in Whippany, NJ, and are sure to see some familiar faces during their stay such as Emil Forsberg (2015-2024 at RB Leipzig), RBNY head coach Sandro Schwarz and Jochen Schneider, Head of Sports at the MLS club and previously part of the management at Leipzig from 2015 to 2019.
 

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Friendly against Aston Villa

On top of that, RB Leipzig will also play its first friendly of the 2024/25 season in the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The team will face English Premier League side Aston Villa on July 31 with kick-off at 8pm local time.

The seven-time English champion, who has former Leverkusen players Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby in its ranks, currently sits fourth in the Premier League and, like RB Leipzig, is on course for Champions League qualification. Leipzig is planning a second friendly at the end of the tour on the East Coast.
 

Plenty of activities planned off the pitch

Alongside the friendly games and daily, high-intensity practice sessions, there will also be lots of events happening away from the turf in the New York metropolitan Area. They include the unveiling of the new RB Leipzig jersey for the 2024/25 season, CSR activities, public training, autograph sessions and some exciting collaborations with Red Bull athletes in North America.
 

Johann Plenge, RB Leipzig General Manager

• “This will be our first preseason outside of Europe, and with the USA we decided to go to a key target market for our club. RB Leipzig excites soccer fans both domestically and internationally with its unique story, which has taken us from the fifth division to the Champions League. 

  We’ve brought the world of soccer back to Leipzig with our exciting European runs in recent years and as a host city for EURO 2024. Now we’re bringing Leipzig to the world! We want to take advantage of our good and special connection to New York and strengthen it for years to come. It’s an important step for us, but also for the Bundesliga, which rightly enjoys a great reputation in the US.”
   

Rouven Schröder, RB Leipzig sporting director

• “Our coaching staff and players can look forward to an incredibly professional training camp with two friendlies against ambitious opponents. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the USA is one of the most exciting sports markets in the world, and its love for soccer continues to grow. 

  This trip to the US will create some great memories for our team and we’re looking forward to meeting our colleagues at New York Red Bulls and the MLS.”
   

Emil Forsberg, 325 appearances for RB Leipzig

• “All of us at RBNY – and myself in particular – are really excited that RB Leipzig is coming to New York for its first US tour. It will be a special reunion with players, coaches and staff for me that I wasn’t expecting so soon. 

  Not only are the conditions at our training complex great, but New York is also the perfect city for RB Leipzig and the Bundesliga to become better known in the USA. I’m sure that we’ll have a great time together.”
   

Several connections between RB Leipzig and the USA

Over the years, RB Leipzig has been able to establish several links to the USA and to New York specifically. Former US international Terrence Boyd (14 caps) was the first American to feature for the club, playing there from 2014 to 2017. Fellow American Tyler Adams then joined RB Leipzig in 2019 after having spent the previous four years at the New York Red Bulls. The midfielder would go on to score the winning goal in our Champions League quarterfinal against Atlético Madrid in August 2020, helping us reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in our history. The 2022/23 season then saw US youngster Caden Clark make the move to Leipzig, also from RBNY. Additionally, Jesse Marsch enjoyed a stint at the club as an assistant coach in 2018/19, before returning as head coach from July to December 2021.

RB Leipzig was also involved in hosting youth soccer camps in the New York metropolitan area in both 2022 and 2023. Over 300 kids took part in the week-long camps in Hoboken, NJ and Brooklyn, NY, which were led by coaches from the RB Leipzig Soccer School. The respective MVPs from each camp were rewarded with the opportunity to fly to Germany in order to attend a home game at the Red Bull Arena.

Recently, the club’s academy hosted players from the New York Red Bulls’ U13 and U14 sides. On top of joint practices and off-field activities, the teams also took part in several friendlies, as well as attending the Bundesliga game against VfL Wolfsburg.
 

Top 3 in the USA

In addition to various on-the-ground activities, the club has also been able to reach millions of fans in the USA with the help of TV, streaming platforms and its social media channels. RB Leipzig is currently among the top three Bundesliga teams in terms of US TV ratings. Of the club’s nearly seven million followers across various social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, a total of 10 per cent are already from the USA. 

In order to continue serving their ever-expanding international audience, RB Leipzig has also launched an English-language WhatsApp Account (@RBLeipzigEnglish). In addition to expanding their English website coverage, the club is planning to release an English-language version of its official app on top of that.

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