Planning to watch Werder Bremen vs AJ Auxerre live? The pre-season football match takes place on 15 August at Weserstadion in Bremen as part of Werder's fan day. Plan your trip, check current match information and organise your ticket purchase in good time
Werder Bremen - AJ Auxerre: dress rehearsal ahead of the start of the competitive season
Werder Bremen and AJ Auxerre will meet at the Weserstadion in Bremen on 15 August at 14:30, in a match that comes immediately before the first competitive commitments of the new season for both teams. For Werder, this is the final test after their summer preparations and second training camp in Harsewinkel, while Auxerre arrive in Germany in the final phase of their work under new coach Will Still.
The match is part of Werder's traditional "Tach der Fans", a day dedicated to supporters. The programme around the stadium includes autograph sessions, family activities and the presentation of the men's and women's teams, followed by the match against the French top-flight side. This means it is not just another closed-door friendly test: a large part of the crowd will see Werder's team on home soil for the first time this summer, on the Weserstadion's new grass surface.
The sporting result will not bring any points, but it will give the coaches very concrete answers about the teams' readiness, the distribution of minutes and the hierarchy within the squad. Tickets for this match are in high demand among supporters.
Werder enter the new season after a difficult battle to avoid relegation
Werder finished the 2025/26 season in 15th place in the Bundesliga. The final round brought a 0-2 home defeat against Borussia Dortmund, but the objective of staying up had already been achieved. Daniel Thioune therefore entered the summer preparations with a clear task: to increase competition within the squad and find a more stable structure before the start of the new league campaign.
The friendly results provide a good framework for assessing progress. Werder opened the summer with a 6-2 victory against FC Verden 04, then defeated Fagiano Okayama 2-0 and VfL Bochum 2-0 in a test that lasted 120 minutes. At the beginning of August, a 4-2 victory against Energie Cottbus followed, while on 8 August Werder and SC Paderborn drew 2-2 in an unusual match played over four periods of 35 minutes.
In that latest test, the scorers for Werder were Justin Njinmah and Paul Erevbenagie. Erevbenagie is particularly interesting, having also scored against Verden and Bochum and made use of a large number of minutes during pre-season. Njinmah, on the other hand, has already shown how much his speed can change the rhythm of the attack.
Cedric Itten also made his debut against Paderborn. The Swiss striker thus enters the final week of preparations with his first minutes in his legs, and the match against Auxerre could show how close he is to a more significant role right from the start of the season.
- Werder Bremen - FC Verden 04 6-2
- Werder Bremen - Fagiano Okayama 2-0
- Werder Bremen - VfL Bochum 2-0
- Energie Cottbus - Werder Bremen 2-4
- Werder Bremen - SC Paderborn 2-2
New faces and the battle for places in Werder's starting eleven
The preparations also allowed Thioune to make a large number of rotations. In the matches against Okayama and Bochum, he used almost two completely different line-ups, while young players were given long stretches of playing time to assess who could immediately help the first team.
Chuki was among the players who quickly made an impression. Against Okayama he scored for 1-0, while Mats Heitmann made it 2-0. Paul Erevbenagie then opened the scoring against Bochum, while Salim Musah converted a penalty. Such a distribution of scorers is important because it shows that the goals during the summer did not come from just one striker.
For supporters, the relationship between established first-team players and those who have pushed for more playing time during the summer will be particularly interesting. Friendly matches do not provide a definitive answer about the starting eleven, but this one against Auxerre comes late enough in the preparations that the starting line-up could reveal much more than the earlier tests.
Seven days after Auxerre, Werder play their first German Cup match against Lüneburger SK Hansa, and then open their league campaign away to SC Freiburg on 30 August. Because of this, every detail against the French team will be viewed through the question of readiness for competitive football, rather than simply through the result of a friendly match.
Auxerre arrive with a new coach and a reshaped attack
AJ Auxerre enter the new season after once again securing survival in the French top flight. The team beat Lille 2-0 in the final round of last season, with Lassine Sinayoko scoring both goals. That result confirmed their survival, but a major change occurred during the summer: Sinayoko left the club after nine seasons and more than 170 appearances for the first team. In the 2025/26 season, he recorded 12 goals and four assists.
There was also a change on the bench. Christophe Pélissier left the club at the beginning of June after almost four full seasons, and on 12 June Auxerre presented Will Still as their new coach. The Belgian-British specialist signed a two-season contract with the option of an additional year.
Still is therefore using this summer not only to prepare the players physically but also to establish a new distribution of roles. One of the attacking reinforcements is Rémy Labeau-Lascary, who arrived on loan with an option to buy. In the previous season, while on loan at Brest, he played 28 matches and scored six goals. Auxerre presented him as a fast, technically gifted and positionally versatile striker.
In the first friendly under Still, Auxerre beat Lusitanos Saint-Maur 5-2, with Theo Bair scoring twice. The next confirmed pre-season result was a 1-2 defeat against US Orléans. The French team have a busy schedule in the closing stages of the summer, including tests against Sochaux, Troyes and Paris FC before travelling to Bremen.
- Will Still took charge of the team in June.
- Lassine Sinayoko, the team's top scorer from the previous season, left the club during the summer.
- Rémy Labeau-Lascary arrived after a season with 28 appearances and six goals for Brest.
- Theo Bair scored twice in the 5-2 victory against Lusitanos Saint-Maur.
- Auxerre open their new league season away to Lens.
What could decide the match
At Werder, there has been a clear intention during the preparations not to make the attack dependent on just one player. Njinmah provides depth and speed, Erevbenagie is productive in front of goal, Itten offers a different profile as a central striker, while Chuki, Musah and Heitmann have already been among the scorers. Against Auxerre, it will be interesting to see how Thioune combines these profiles and whether one attacking set-up receives the majority of the minutes.
The second question is defensive stability. Werder kept clean sheets against Okayama and Bochum, but conceded goals against Verden, Cottbus and Paderborn. The result of a friendly match is not decisive, but a recurrence of the same problems in transition or after losing the ball would be relevant just one week before the first competitive match.
For Auxerre, the biggest issue is adapting to the period without Sinayoko. His 12 league goals from last season must be replaced by several players. That is why the minutes given to Labeau-Lascary, Theo Bair and the other attacking options are worth more than the simple number of goals in friendly matches. Still needs to see who best connects the midfield with the finishing phase and how the team reacts when it loses the ball against an opponent capable of quickly attacking space.
Since both teams have competitive matches very soon after this encounter, numerous substitutions are possible. Nevertheless, the opening 45 to 60 minutes could be the closest indication of what the coaches currently consider their main line-ups.
Weserstadion and "Tach der Fans"
Weserstadion is located beside the River Weser, east of the centre of Bremen, at Franz-Böhmert-Straße 1c. Its capacity for domestic football competitions is 42,100. The stands are arranged immediately around the football pitch, so visitors in most sections remain close to the action.
For this match, an additional element is the all-day programme. Werder have announced autograph sessions, activities for visitors and the presentation of the men's and women's teams before kick-off. The club has also announced special stadium tours ahead of the match, several hours before the first team takes to the pitch.
The exact opening time of the entrances for the match itself had not yet been published in the available information as of 9 August. Visitors are therefore advised to plan to arrive earlier than for a usual friendly match, because the activities around the stadium begin before the team presentation and the match itself.
Places in the stands are disappearing quickly, so it is worth securing tickets in good time.
How to get to Weserstadion
For Werder's home matches, traffic around the stadium is regulated much more strictly than on ordinary days. The club's standard traffic arrangements close the area around Weserstadion to cars approximately two and a half hours before kick-off, while the P1-P6 car parks next to the stadium are not available to visitors without a special permit. For supporters arriving by car, a combination of the Park+Ride system and public transport is more practical.
- Tram lines 2 and 10 run to the St.-Jürgen-Straße stop, from where the stadium can be reached on foot.
- Line 3 runs to the Weserstadion stop and drops passengers off closest to the stadium.
- For arrival by car, the club's instructions recommend Park+Ride in the Hemelinger Hafen area.
- On matchday, visitors should not expect regular parking immediately next to the stadium.
- The address for orientation is Franz-Böhmert-Straße 1c, 28205 Bremen.
Bremen is a city in northern Germany with its main railway station connected to the tram network. For visitors arriving by train, the simplest option is to continue by public transport towards the Peterswerder district, without attempting to reach the stadium by car for the final part of the journey.
The detailed traffic plan for an individual match may change, so it is useful to check the current instructions immediately before departure. Especially for "Tach der Fans", a larger number of visitors can be expected around the stadium and earlier in the day.
What supporters can watch for on the pitch
For Werder, this will be the final major test before the start of the competitive schedule. The greatest attention will be drawn to the arrangement of the strikers, Cedric Itten's playing time, the continuation of Paul Erevbenagie's good summer form and Chuki's role in creating play. Equally important will be the defensive reaction after losing the ball, particularly against Auxerre, who will want to use the speed of their new attacking options.
For Auxerre, the match in Bremen is an opportunity for the new team to test itself against a Bundesliga opponent in a large stadium and as part of an all-day supporters' programme. Still will consider it important to see how his team handles the hosts' pressure, how effectively it plays out from its own third and whether the attack can create enough situations without Sinayoko as last season's main goalscoring reference.
Friendly matches in mid-summer often serve as opportunities for experimentation, but this one comes so close to the start of competitive action that there will be less room for experiments. Werder will have one week until their cup match after it, while Auxerre will soon travel to Lens for their league opener. Because of this, the second half could bring many substitutions, but the starting line-up and the first hour should offer the clearest picture of the current strength of both teams.
For the crowd, the additional value of the entire day lies precisely in the combination of the team presentation and a serious international test. It is worth securing tickets in good time, especially if the aim is to follow the programme before the match as well, rather than simply arriving immediately before kick-off.
Sources:
- SV Werder Bremen - announcement of the match against AJ Auxerre, "Tach der Fans" programme, summer schedule, reports from friendly matches and information about the first competitive match.
- AJ Auxerre - appointment of Will Still, departure of Lassine Sinayoko, arrival of Rémy Labeau-Lascary, conclusion of the 2025/26 season and schedule for the start of the new league season.
- Bundesliga - overview of Werder's pre-season programme and the date of the friendly match against Auxerre.
- Weserstadion Bremen - stadium capacity, address and travel information.
- SV Werder Bremen and BSAG - traffic arrangements for home matches, tram connections and Park+Ride.
- dpa/WELT - result and details of Werder's friendly match against SC Paderborn on 8 August 2026.