There were warm greetings from the staff in the hotel and Ricardo Villar, the organiser of the Florida Cup, as Bayer 04 return for the third year in succession. After the evening meal it was more or less straight off to bed after the ten-hour flight from Germany.
Several players arrived separately from their holidays: Aleksandar Dragovic, Karim Bellarabi, Jonathan Tah plus Chicharito, Wendell and Charles Aránguiz. The four youngsters Kai Havertz, Atakan Akkaynak, Sam Schreck and goalkeeper Tomasz Kucz were all on board the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt. Roberto Hilbert and Robbie Kruse were not on the flight to the training camp. Julian Baumgartlinger is due to arrive later as the Austrian is imminently due to be a father.
Wolf's first contact
The Bayer 04 CEO is unable to join the Florida tour. At the start of the week Michael Schade suffered a broken wrist and arm after slipping on ice. He is due to undergo an operation today. There was a new member of staff present in Jörn Wolf, who started work at Bayer 04 on Tuesday in the role of coach and support team coordinator, and he is sure to make good use of the time in Orlando to learn the ropes in his new job. Werkself players like Hakan Calhanoglu and Jonathan Tah know Wolf from his time as media director at Hamburg SV.
Lehnhoff and Co. lead the way
The first representatives of Bayer 04 arrived at the hotel a day ahead of the others. The vanguard was led by Werkself team liaison manger Peter Lehnhoff and organiser Lennart Coerdt plus Stuart Rickards, Hansi Blum and Martin Kowatzki from the physio and support staff group who set up rooms so that treatment and massage could start as and when required.
Roger Schmidt and his players have two training sessions at ten in the morning and four in the afternoon today. "We are looking forward to it and we know exactly what to expect here. During our stay in Orlando it’s important to promote a feeling of togetherness and have lots of training sessions," said the head coach. The training sessions will be held on the excellent pitches right next to the hotel. The Bayer 04 groundsman Georg Schmitz, who arrived in Orlando on Monday, will work with his American colleagues to ensure the pitches are in perfect condition.
You can keep up-to-date with events in Florida round-the-clock via our hashtag #B04goesUSA. Just log on toTwitter,Facebook,Instagram and Snapchat (@bayer04snaps). Information on the Werkself training camp is available here in German, English and Spanish: >> http://www.bayer04.de/goesUSA <<
Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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The Bayer 04 Women’s squad for the coming season is continuing to take shape: Centre-back Emily Wallrabenstein has moved to Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt’s reserve team, who play in the Women’s Bundesliga 2. The 19-year-old has penned a contract until 30 June 2028.
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