Piero Hincapie and Ecuador beat hosts Qatar 2-0 in the opening match in the World Cup. Ecuador's star striker Enner Valencia netted a brace (16', 31') for the South Americans on Sunday night with a goal from the 33-year-old on three minutes ruled out due to an offside decision. Hincapie played the full 90 minutes and he helped his team keep a clean sheet.
The next game for Ecuador in Group A is against the Netherlands with Bayer 04 player Jeremie Frimpong (25 November, 17.00 CET). The final group match against Senegal is four days later with the kick-off at 16.00 CET.
Jeremie Frimpong and the Netherlands also picked up three points at the start of the World Cup. The Oranje won the opening match against Senegal 2-0. Cody Gakpo on 84 minutes and Davy Klaassen nine minutes into added time scored the late goals.
In the clash of the two winners on matchday one in Group A, as already mentioned, on 25 November at 17.00 CET the Dutch team play Ecuador with Piero Hincapie. The Netherlands then play hosts Qatar four days later with a 16.00 CET kick-off.
Sardar Azmoun was another Leverkusen player to start the World Cup on Monday. The striker with Iran was on the wrong end of a 6-2 scoreline against England. Azmoun, who has been out of action since the end of September due to a muscle injury, came off the bench on 77 minutes with England 5-1 up and he hit the bar eight minutes into added time.
Azmoun and Co. play Wales in their next match on 25 November with the kick-off at 11.00 CET, and Iran finish their group matches against the USA (29 November, 20.00 CET).
Exequiel Palacios, with Argentina, is the fourth Bayer 04 player to start the World Cup tournament. The Albiceleste played Saudi Arabia in their opening match in Group C – and they suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat against the underdogs. Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead from the penalty spot on ten minutes but Saudi Arabia turned the game round after the restart with a double whammy (48', 53'). Werkself player Palacios did not play in this game.
Argentina next play Mexico on 26 November at 20.00 CET with the third and final group match against Poland (20.00 CET) following four days later.
Despite a major personnel shake-up in the summer, RB Leipzig have performed impressively this term. Ahead of matchday 15, coach Ole Werner's team are second in the Bundesliga with a three-point lead over their upcoming opponents Bayer 04. This Saturday, 20 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET), the Werkself are away to RBL who are strong at home. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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This year - for the third time - the parents of the Bayer 04 youth players from the U8 to U15 age groups once again took part in the WDR Christmas Miracle. Under the motto "Goals against hunger in the world - parents in goal!", they organised their own fundraising campaign to once again actively support the important WDR campaign. The sum of €3,420 was handed over at the Glashaus in Essen in the middle of the week during the live programme.
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On Tuesday evening, Bayer 04's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer and its employees welcomed some very special visitors to the company's Christmas market at its headquarters in Wuppertal: Werkself players Robert Andrich, Mark Flekken, Loïc Badé, Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman spent lots of time with Bayer 04 fans of all ages in the early evening – and also helped to serve drinks such as Glühwein (mulled wine) and delicious food.
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The Leverkusen eSports players picked up just one point on Tuesday 16 December in the remaining three matches of the online preliminary round of Showdown Three in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. As a result, the #B04eSports team once again miss out on going through to the offline knockout phase and now head into the winter break.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has always stood for ambition, development, and progress. In recent years, these values have been reflected not only on the pitch, but beyond it. The Werkself continues to grow — regionally, nationally, and now more than ever internationally — and the recent visit from a delegation of our newest international fan club, Bayer4Arab, is a powerful example of this journey.
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