Borussia Dortmund are poised to ramp up their pre-season preparations. On Saturday, in front of a packed crowd at Niederrheinstadion, die Schwarzgelben beat fourth-tier side Rot-Weiß Oberhausen 3-1; Justin Lerma, Serhou Guirassy and youngster Takato Yamamoto the scorers.
Now though, there are still five fixtures to come before the serious business begins. So, check out our guide documenting where, when and against whom Dortmund will be in action this summer.
Borussia Dortmund's full pre-season fixture list
- Saturday 25 July. Fortuna Düsseldorf. Kick off 1pm (CEST). Merkur Spiel-Arena.
- Wednesday 29 July. Cerezo Ōsaka. Kick off 7pm (local) and noon (CEST). Yodoko Sakura Stadium.
- Saturday 1 August. FC Tōkyō. Kick off 7pm (local) and noon (CEST). Japan National Stadium.
- Sunday 9 August. Arsenal. Kick off 2pm (local) and 3pm (CEST) Emirates Stadium.
- Saturday 15 August. AS Roma. Kick off 5:30pm (CEST). Westfalenstadion.
Where are Borussia Dortmund travelling for pre-season?
On Saturday, Dortmund will face local rivals Fortuna Düsseldorf at Merkur Spiel-Arena. Having been in the top division as recently as 2020, Fortuna actually finished second-bottom of the Zweite Bundesliga last season, so will now compete in the Dritte Liga (third-tier) for the first time since 2009.
After that, Niko Kovač's team will travel to Japan for matches against Cerezo Ōsaka and FC Tōkyō. As of right now, the J League is switching from a February to December calendar, now mirroring European seasons, meaning both of those two teams are also in pre-season.
Upon returning to Europe, die Schwarzgelben will face Premier League champions Arsenal in the Emirates Cup in North London, before concluding pre-season against Roma at Westfalenstadion.
Which Borussia Dortmund players are missing pre-season?
Dortmund had 11 representatives at the World Cup, some of whom will thereby miss the start of pre-season, albeit a many are set to be back soon.
Players | World Cup elimination date | Can return to training date |
|---|---|---|
Salih Özcan | 25 June | 16 July |
Waldemar Anton | 29 June | 20 July |
Felix Nmecha | 29 June | 20 July |
Nico Schlotterbeck | 29 June | 20 July |
Maximilian Beier | 29 June | 20 July |
Daniel Svensson | 30 June | 21 July |
Ramy Bensebaïni | 2 July | 23 July |
Carney Chukwuemeka | 2 July | 23 July |
Marcel Sabitzer | 2 July | 23 July |
Julian Ryerson | 11 July | 1 August |
Gregor Kobel | 11 July | 1 August |
Following their early World Cup eliminations, the majority of Dortmund's World Cup players can now return for pre-season training, following the mandatory three week break. Nico Schlotterbeck though picked up an medial ligament ankle injury during the tournament, so won't be fit until September.
On the flip side, after Norway and Switzerland got all the way to the quarter-finals, neither Julian Ryerson nor Gregor Kobel will be involved in the tour of Japan.
Which new Borussia Dortmund signings will feature in pre-season?
In classic Borussia Dortmund style, their three new signings are all lesser-known youngsters. Defender Joane Gadou has arrived from RB Salzburg for €19.5 million, a sizeable outly, while Kauã Prates has joined from Cruzeiro for €7 million, a new left-back option.
Meantime, midfielder Justin Lerma scored during Saturday's aforementioned friendly victory over Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. The 18 year old attacking midfielder has arrived for €4 million from Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, viewed as South America's biggest talent factory. Thus, it will be interesting to see how the trio get on during pre-season.
How do I watch Borussia Dortmund's pre-season matches?
The two fixtures in Japan will be live on Sky Sport Bundesliga 1 in Germany and Austria. They are also available on beIN Sports Connect in Australia and New Zealand.
When does Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga season start?
Borussia Dortmund's opening Bundesliga fixture is against Hamburg. They will welcome die Rothosen to the Westfalenstadion on Saturday 29 August, with the match kicking off at 6:30pm local time.
Before that, die Schwarzgelben will face double winners Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, also at home, on Saturday 22 August, kick off 8:30pm (CEST). Since the competition was re-introduced in 2010, Dortmund and Bayern have contested the Supercup on eight occasions, of which five have been won by the Bavarians, with BVB seeking a repeat of their 2-0 win from 2019.
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