And the tricky Werkself winger also showed his ability in the air: Joshua Kimmich put the ball into the box and Brandt made the most of his opportunity to score with a flying header. "It was obviously a sensational feeling. I really enjoyed it. It's always an honour to play for the national side. It gives you goose bumps," said a euphoric Julian after the match in Nuremberg.
Leno and Henrichs on the bench
In a predictably one-sided encounter the TSG Hoffenheim striker Sandro Wagner scored a hat-trick. The other goals were netted by captain Julian Draxler, Armin Younes and Shkodran Mustafi. With six wins in Group C the world champions Germany can almost start planning for next year’s tournament in Russia. Bernd Leno did not play as Joachim Löw opted instead for Mark-Andre Ter Stegen in goal. Benjamin Henrichs was also on the bench. After a short break, the Bayer 04 trio are set head off to Russia on Tuesday with the Germany squad. The Confederations Cup sees Germany start with group games against Australia (19 June), Chile (22 June) and Cameroon (25 June).
Mehmedi and Chicharito on road to victory
Other Bayer 04 players have been on international duty at the weekend. Admir Mehmedi was in the Swiss team for the 2-0 win against the Faroe Isles on Friday night. The Bayer 04 striker was substituted on 62 minutes. Just like Germany, Switzerland are unbeaten at the top of Group B with six wins from six games. European Champions Portugal are three points behind. Bayer 04 striker Chicharito and Mexico are still on course to qualify for the World Cup: The Mexicans beat Honduras 3-0 early on Friday morning Central European Time. Chicha did not play. That will probably change in the prestigious match against the USA on Monday at 3.30 CET. The Mexicans are way ahead in their group with 13 points from five matches.
Austria and Finland in action
Bayer 04 pros Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic are set to line up for Austria away to Ireland on Sunday at 18.00 CET. With seven points from five games the team coached by Marcel Koller have not lived up to expectations. Currently in fourth position, the Austrians need a win in Dublin against second-placed Ireland on eleven points to be in with a chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
Hopes of participation in the World Cup are as good as over for Finland and Bayer 04 striker Joel Pohjanpalo. However, in spite of just one point from five games Scandinavians are looking to register a first win in the home match against Ukraine (18.00 CET).
Bayer 04 are back at the BayArena! Under the slogan “One day. Two teams. One club.”, the Leverkusen stadium grounds will be transformed into a world of experiences – with a wide range of exclusive activities both on and off the pitch. Keep track of all the highlights in our blog for the 2026 season launch.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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