
Due to organisational reasons, the first friendly against third division SV Wehen Wiesbaden on Wednesday, 14 July will be played behind closed doors at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre. Anybody wanting to watch the first Werkself match of the summer live from 18.00 CEST, can watch the game on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel or on Sport1.
Following the training camp (16-23 July), the team led by new head coach Gerardo Seoane will play another two matches in Leverkusen. Both the game against the Dutch top-flight side FC Utrecht (28 July, 16.00 CEST) and the meeting with the Spanish La Liga club Celta Vigo (31 July, 16.00 CEST) will be played at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
If the coronavirus pandemic situation remains stable in Leverkusen then it is possible that fans may return for the two friendlies. Spectators will have to be vaccinated, recuperated or have a negative test. In addition, no away fans are allowed to attend either game. Bayer 04 will publish further information on any access procedures immediately before the two matches.

The fixture details for the Bayer 04 Women’s first match in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been confirmed: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning, the Leverkusen Women will face second-tier side FC Viktoria Berlin in the first round on Sunday 27 September at 14:00 CEST.
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Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Getting in the mood for the new season together, exchanging ideas and looking ahead to the coming months: Bayer 04 welcomed partners to the BayArena for the annual sponsors season-launch event. In a relaxed atmosphere, the management, head coach and players came together with representatives from partner companies to celebrate the start of the 2026/27 season.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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