The two oldest Bayer 04 youth teams began the new NRW League Cup with convincing wins. The U19s under head coach Sven Hübscher entertained Alemannia Aachen in the opening fixture in Group 3 – and they secured a convincing 5-0 victory. The goalscorers included three youth players who took part in the first team training camp in Salzburger Land a few weeks ago.
The first goal of the new season was netted by Joshua Eze just before half-time at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre (36'). At the start of the second 45, Ayman Aourir made it 2-0 (46') before Zidan Sertdemir took centre stage. The 16-year-old summer signing from top-flight Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, who has completed every training session with the first team, netted a hat-trick in eleven minutes (53', 60', 64').
The U19s are back in action in the NRW League Cup on Friday, 13 August, with a home game against Preußen Münster. The kick-off at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium is at 18.30 CEST.
Like the older youth age group, the Leverkusen U17s are top of Group 2 after matchday one. Thanks to a 4-0 home win against Alemannia Aachen, the team coached by Jan Hoepner and Thomas Zdebel have taken the first step towards the semi-finals. The goals for the Werkself youth side were scored by Akim Kister (28’), Raoul Petak (37’), Enes Yilmaz (56’) and Julius Bugenhagen (75’).
Preußen Münster are also the next opponents for the U17s. The second group match is away from home on Thursday, 12 August at 13.00 CEST.
Following the focused performance in the DFB Cup tie at Lokomotive Leipzig (3-0), the Werkself began the new week with a day off training. The first session is set for Tuesday with the focus moving exclusively to the Bundesliga opener away to FC Union Berlin. Bayer 04 will travel to the capital on Friday in search of the first three points of the new league campaign the day after with a 15.30 CEST kick-off at the Alte Försterei Stadium.
As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Monday, the second round of the DFB Cup will be drawn on Sunday, 29 August. The draw will begin at 18.30 CEST in the WDR studio in Cologne where the ARD Sportschau is broadcast live. The second round matches will be played on 26 and 27 October.
Bayer 04 went through in the cup competition with a comfortable 3-0 victory away to North East Regional League Lokomotive Leipzig. The match report can be read HERE.
The Werkself player Jeremie Frimpong describes his FIFA Ultimate Team as "quick" and "powerful". Bayer 04 TV asked the 20-year-old right-back to introduce his dream team on FIFA. The players he chose can be seen on the club’s YouTube channel. HERE is the link to the video.
The week starts again with Black and Red congratulations: Panagiotis ‘Panos’ Retsos celebrated his 23rd birthday on Monday. The defender joined Leverkusen in 2017 from Olympiakos as a champion of Greece. After going out on loan to Saint-Étienne last year, the South African-born Retsos is again showing his potential under the Bayer Cross. After time on the pitch in the pre-season friendlies, the versatile defender went the full distance in the DFB Cup tie against Lokomotive Leipzig. Many happy returns on your birthday, Panos.
Another player, who wore the Black and Red until recently, became a year old on Monday and is now 24: Leon Bailey. The Jamaican joined Bayer 04 in January 2017. A few days ago, the winger moved on to the Premier League after four and a half years in the Bundesliga – he is now at Aston Villa. Many happy returns and much success, Leon.
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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