The leaving party for Rudi Völler at the Bayer casino was the perfect conclusion to an unforgettable day under the Bayer Cross: Following the 2-1 home win for the Werkself against SC Freiburg in front of a full house at the BayArena and the emotional farewell for the 1990 World Cup winner from the fans, the departing sporting managing director and old friends and colleagues plus Bayer 04 staff enjoyed a fitting evening together.
Day one after the Völler departure did not see the team, coaches and staff starting a well-deserved summer break. Instead they flew out to Central America for the #Bayer04MexicoTour.
Daley Sinkgraven and Co. met up at the BayArena on Sunday morning to travel to Frankfurt Airport by coach. The group took off for Mexico City at 14.15 CEST on Lufthansa flight LH498. The Werkself landed safe and sound on the other side of the Atlantic just over eleven hours later.
The players mainly used the time in the plane to rest with a small group including Sardar Azmoun and Moussa Diaby playing the card game UNO; and the two Werkself players clearly enjoyed it.
The plane landed at the airport in Mexico City at 18.44 with the Bayer 04 anthem playing as the flight staff said goodbye. The travelling Bayer 04 group were met at the exit from the terminal by a large group of Mexican fans plus several dozen media representatives and camera teams. Brian the Lion was also there to give his colleagues a warm welcome. Head coach Gerardo Seoane gave his first interview to the big American TV stations at the airport with a flurry of camera flashes. The Swiss coach said: “We played on Saturday and are all a bit tired from the long flight but we’re in good spirits and very much looking forward to the week here in Mexico.”
The journey to the team hotel in the centre of Mexico City was on a coach with special livery for the tour bearing the words ‘Bayer04MexicoTour – 100 Years Bayer in Mexico’. The Mexican capital is one of the ten biggest conurbations in the world. The Black and Red day of arrival ended with dinner at the hotel.
Monday brings the final pre-match workout on the training ground of the top-flight Mexican club UNAM Pumas plus a press conference with Bayer 04 head coach Gerardo Seoane and Ignacio Ambriz. The 57-year-old Mexican coaches the Pumas’ league rivals Deportivo Toluca who the Werkself meet in a friendly overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday German time.
The penultimate Bundesliga matchday of the calendar year marks the end of an eventful first half of the season for the Bayer 04 Women. After seven wins, one draw and four defeats from the first twelve games of the season, coach Roberto Pätzold's team can go above Werder Bremen in the table with a win on Friday, 12 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET).
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The third showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 kicks off for the Leverkusen eSports team this Thursday, 11 December (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Red will once again take on six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round, which will take place at this third showdown on 19 December in Cologne. Showdown One winners Bayer 04 will face FC St. Pauli, who won the second showdown last month, among others. The lowdown on first three opponents in this online preliminary round.
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The exact dates for the quarter-finals of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been finalised. Accordingly, Bayer 04's home tie against Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli will be played on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, with the kick-off at 20:45 CET. This was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) today (Thursday).
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After a strong first half, the Werkself conceded twice against Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League but fought back and " deservedly earned the draw at the end", as captain Robert Andrich aptly put it. Despite opportunities for further Bayer 04 goals, the positive feeling about the irrepressible commitment the final minutes predominated. The Werkself review.
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Alejandro Grimaldo, of course! With his late equaliser (88') in the Champions League clash against Newcastle United, the Spaniard rescued a point for the Werkself, who took the lead through an own goal by Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (13') but went with two goals for the visitors scored by Anthony Gordon (51') and Lewis Miley (74'). It was the third draw for Bayer 04 in the current 2025/26 campaign on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase.
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