
Sporting managing director Rudi Völler, who will move on to the shareholders committee at Bayer 04 after the end of the season, said to Bild am Sonntag: "We are definitely finishing third. It's a great success given the difficult situation with lots of injuries. It's a great way to finish – for me too, of course."
Sporting director Simon Rolfes, who takes over the post of sporting managing director from Rudi Völler in the summer: "We've got a team with great potential and we had to be in the Champions League. Everybody has worked and battled hard for that. I'm very proud of each and every one!"
Head coach Gerardo Seoane, who has succeeded in qualifying for the Champions League in his first year as a head coach in the Bundesliga: "We are also very happy for Rudi that we are able to give him a worthy conclusion. We played in bottom gear in the first half. The second half was sensational. We were much more direct going forwards."

Captain Lukas Hradecky: "We've scored more than seventy goals and more than deserve to be in the Champions League. The mentality shown by the team today is impressive. There's something happening here. The captain is proud!"
Key defender Jonathan Tah, who has played under the Bayer Cross for seven years: "We're losing a lot of pressure. It was a season with highs and lows. But we've come through all of that as a team and today we deservedly won in the end."
In addition to former Leverkusen players like Benjamin Henrichs (now at RB Leipzig), Emrehan Gedikli (Trabzonspor) and Sami Hyypiä, Erik Meijer also shared praise via social media. The Dutchman played for the Werkself from 1996 to 1999 and is now working as a Champions League pundit for the pay-TV broadcaster Sky: "Congratulations to everybody. They really deserve it. Great attacking football that everyone wants to watch..."
There were also congratulations from TSV Bayer 04 and the Bayer Giants Leverkusen – and they got in the mood with the Champions League anthem that will again be heard at the BayArena next season: “The Champioooooons…” A similar approach was taken by Kickers Offenbach, who have had a friendship with Bayer 04 for over 40 years: "Congratulations on Champions League qualification and a great 4-2 away win #BayerundderOFC.“
Lucas Alario and Paulinho hit the nail on the head: "Target achieved." That also pleased youngster Iker Bravo: “Yesssssss! Great team, I'm so proud!” There was also recognition from Turkey: “Well done, lads,” praised Joel Pohjanpalo. And Moussa Diaby is already looking forwards: “Champions League – we’re coming!”

Bayer 04 Leverkusen and sponsors club partner NRG24 are continuing their partnership, which has been in place since the summer of 2023. The Bundesliga football club and the energy consultancy firm have extended their successful partnership until 30 June 2027.
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Bayer 04 host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 8 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The game will be played on Halloween on Saturday, 31 October with the a 15:30 CET kick-off. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 host SC Paderborn at the BayArena on matchday 10 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The game against the newly promoted team is on Saturday, 21 November with the a 15:30 CET kick-off. The latest information on ticket sales.
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“School education: a key to success in a sporting career?” – this and other questions relating to dual training in sport, particularly in football, took centre stage at the EDU-DC Conference at the BayArena. The event, held in the Premium Lounge, brought together experts from top clubs and associations from 24 nations, including England, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Representatives from Bayer 04 and TSV Bayer 04 provided insights into the interplay between school and sport at the Werkself.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 2-0 win at Viktoria Berlin in the first round of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
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