
That has obviously happened by adhering to all regulations and after players and staff were provided with detailed information beforehand about all rules prescribed by the pandemic officer Dr Karl-Heinrich Dittmar in close cooperation with the local health authorities. Full team training will not happen in the coming days and this ruling initially applies up to Sunday, 5 April.
In the training sessions, the distance rule is maintained by the small groups training in different areas of the club site at different times (BayArena, weights room, speed court etc). Every player has to shower at home and communal events like breakfast and lunch have been cancelled.
The exemption from the state health ministry is based on professional athletes having the opportunity to be able to practice their profession. And that makes training under professional conditions an absolute necessity. On the other hand, the North Rhine-Westphalia authorities argue that training professional athletes attract great attention in public and that can have a negative effect on carrying out their profession. The ruling not only applies to professional footballers in North Rhine-Westphalia but also competitive athletes at the Olympic centres in the state.

Bayer 04 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
Show more
Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
Show more
Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
Show more
A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
Show more