West Ham United are happy to announce meetings with German Bundesliga sides FSV Mainz 05 and Eintracht Braunschweig as part of the Club's 2013/14 pre-season schedule.
Sam Allardyce will take his Hammers squad to Germany for an eleven-day tour, during which they will play three matches against high-quality opposition.
West Ham will kick-off their German tour by taking on Thomas Tuchel's Mainz at their former Bruchwegstadion home, which the Bundesliga club vacated in 2011. The match will take place on Saturday 20 July at 6pm local time.
Big Sam's men will then take on Hamburger SV in Flensburg on the German-Danish border on Tuesday 23 July at 6.45pm before taking on newly-promoted Bundesliga side Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday 27 July.
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Before leaving for Germany the Hammers will travel to the Republic of Ireland to face Cork City on Sunday 7 July. Closer to home, the Club have also organised a trip to the south coast to face AFC Bournemouth in a Testimonial for Academy of Football graduate and long-time Cherries full-back Stephen Purches, along with a trip to Essex to take on Colchester United.
West Ham will also be making a return to Blue Square Bet South club Boreham Wood, having been worked hard during a pre-season fixture at Meadow Park in July 2012.
Ticket details for all pre-season matches will be posted here as and when they are confirmed.
2013 Pre-season fixtures
Sunday 7 July v Cork City, Turners Cross Stadium, Cork City, Republic of Ireland, 6pm
Wednesday 10 July v Boreham Wood, Meadow Park, Borehamwood. 7.30pm
Saturday 13 July v AFC Bournemouth, Goldsands Stadium, Bournemouth, 3pm
Tuesday 16 July v Colchester United, Weston Homes Community Stadium, Colchester, 7.45pm
Saturday 20 July v FSV Mainz 05, Bruchwegstadion, Mainz, Germany, 6pm
Tuesday 23 July v Hamburger SV, Flensburg Stadium, Flensburg, Germany, 6.45pm
Saturday 27 July v Eintracht Braunschweig, Eintracht-Stadion, Braunschweig, Germany, 3.30pm
(*all kick-offs stated are local times)
SV Mainz 05
Formed in 1905, Mainz have risen from the regional leagues to reach the Bundesliga for the first time in their history in 2004 under the guidance of manager and former player Jurgen Klopp - the man who has since gone on to huge success with Borussia Dortmund.
Under Klopp, Mainz qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2005 before being relegated to Bundesliga 2 after three seasons in the top flight in 2007. However, Die Nullfünfer (the O-Fives) returned to the Bundesliga in 2009 and finished in a club record high of fifth two years ago.
Coach Tuchel has put together a squad that contains a number of players who may be familiar to English fans, including former Bolton Wanderers and Croatia striker Ivan Klasnic, Austria internationals Julian Baumgartlinger and Andreas Ivanschitz and Macedonia centre-back Nikolce Noveski.
The Club moved to a new home, the Coface Arena, in 2011. However, the Hammers' visit will be held at Mainz's previous home at the 20,300-capacity Bruchwegstadion nearer the city centre.
Hamburger SV
Hamburg are one of Germany's biggest and best-supported clubs. Founded in 1887, the Rothosen won the European Cup in 1983 and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1977, have been crowned German champions six times and won the Germany Cup on three occasions.
Thorsten Fink's star-studded squad includes Netherlands and former Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Rafael van der Vaart, Germany left-back Marcell Jansen, South Korea starlet Heung-Min Son and ex-Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne. West Ham right-back Guy Demel spent six seasons with Hamburger SV between 2005 and 2011, making 200 appearances, never finishing outside the Bundesliga's top-eight and winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2007.
The Hamburg fixture will take place in the town of Flensburg in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein - the northernmost town in Germany just south of the border with Denmark.
Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig may not be well-known to West Ham supporters, but the club from Lower Saxony were one of the founder members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and will return to the top flight after a 28-year absence next season.
Like West Ham, Braunschweig were formed in 1895, quickly becoming one of Germany's most-successful clubs, winning the Northern German championship in 1908 and 1913. Following the Second World War, the club was relaunched as Braunschweiger TSV Eintracht von 1895 and continued to enjoy success in the top division of football in northern Germany, the Oberliga Nord.
This success resulted in the club being one of 16 chosen to be members of the inaugural Bundesliga in 1963. Four years later, manager Helmuth Johannsen led Braunschweig to the national title for the first and only time in their history. The club also produced a number of players for the West Germany national team.
In 1973, Braunschweig became the first Bundesliga side to sport a sponsor logo on their jerseys - that of liquor producer Jägermeister - and came close to a second Bundesliga title in 1977, when they finished third.
Since being relegated in 1985, Braunschweig have played at the second and third tiers of German football, but two promotions in the previous three seasons under manager Torsten Lieberknecht have seen the club rise back to the Bundesliga again. In 2012/13, Braunschweig drew an average gate of 20,454 to the Eintracht-Stadion, with DR Congolese striker Domi 'Dominck' Kumbela leading the scoring charts with 19 goals.
Cork City
Based in Ireland's second-largest city, League of Ireland Premier Division side Cork City are two-time Irish champions and FAI Cup winners. The Rebel Army have competed regularly in European competition down the years and the city itself has long been a hotbed of Irish football, with Hammers greats Sir Trevor Brooking and Sir Geoff Hurst both turning out for Cork Celtic at the end of their illustrious careers.
AFC Bournemouth
Purches' Testimonial at AFC Bournemouth comes after a hugely-successful season for the Cherries, who have gained promotion to the Championship under manager Eddie Howe, whose team have won their last eight League One matches. West Ham Academy graduate Purches, now 33, has unfortunately missed the entire season after suffering a broken leg while playing against Rochdale in February 2012. The full-back has enjoyed a successful career, making nearly 450 appearances for Bournemouth and Leyton Orient.
Colchester United
Colchester United secured their npower League 1 status with a 2-0 victory at Carlisle United on the final day of the season. The U's victory ensured Scunthorpe United would finish below them and drop down to League 2, and Joe Dunne's men include former Hammer Freddie Sears in their ranks.
The Club will announce further pre-season fixtures as and when dates and kick-off times have been confirmed with opposition clubs.