RB Leipzig are spending the end of their season in South Africa, with a public training session in Johannesburg and a Friday friendly against Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria. It is a post-season tour, not a competitive run-out, and the club have framed it as a mixed-squad showcase under Ole Werner.

The trip began when Leipzig left Germany on Monday 25 May and arrived the following morning in Johannesburg. The public session is scheduled for Thursday at the Wits Academy rugby stadium, before the friendly at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Friday, kick-off 8pm CEST and local time.

What Leipzig are bringing to South Africa

Bundesliga.com described the visit as a post-season tour after Leipzig finished third in the 2025/26 Bundesliga. The same report said that while several players are unavailable because they are preparing for the FIFA World Cup, Ole Werner has still assembled a squad of 16 first-team players and 10 academy players.

That balance matters more than the result of the friendly itself. This is a club in public view, trying to make the end of the season feel purposeful, and the squad size tells you Leipzig are treating it as more than a token appearance.

The numbers from the final stretch are mixed, which fits the mood of the trip. Leipzig's last five results read W-W-L-W-L, they scored 9 goals in that spell and conceded 11. South Africa gives them a fresh setting after a messy enough finish to the league campaign.

Mamelodi Sundowns come into the game as the freshly crowned CAF Champions League winners, so the friendly has a credible opponent on the other side rather than the usual end-of-season placeholder. Leipzig will train, show their squad to a different audience and then face a club that arrives with its own recent form and status intact.

The main point is simple enough. This is Leipzig using a post-season tour to close out the year in public, with Johannesburg on Thursday and Pretoria on Friday leaving the club with a very visible final act.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →