After a break of three years, the Champions League anthem will soon ring out again across the BayArena. For the twelfth time in total – and for the sixth time in the past eight years. The Werkself will have to be patient for another couple of months before it all kicks off – and also until the draw of the group stages to be held in Monaco on 29 August. The first matchday is set for 17 and 18 September.
As in previous years, a total of 32 teams will take part in the group stage of Europe's premier club competition (with eight groups of four). The direct qualifiers are the Champions League winners plus the winners of the Europa League, the best four teams in Germany, England, Italy and Spain, the best two teams from France and Russia plus the national champions from Portugal, Ukraine, Belgium and Turkey. As the two finalists in this season's Champions League – Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool – are qualified for the group stage through a top four finish in the Premier League, the automatic qualification place for the winners of the final goes to the eleventh-placed national association (Austria) – that means the champions FC Salzburg in this case. Talking about Salzburg. Like the Austrians and Valencia, Bayer 04 will be in Pot three for the draw.
The ultimate line-up for next season's Champions League is not yet finalised. To this point, the following 23 clubs have qualified (as at 21 May 2019): Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer 04 (all Germany), Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur (all England), Juventus, Napoli (both Italy), Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, Valencia (all Spain), Paris St Germain, Lille (both France), Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia), Benfica (Portugal), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), KRC Genk (Belgium), Galatasaray (Turkey) plus FC Salzburg (Austria).
In Italy, Bergamo, Inter Milan and AC Milan are fighting for the remaining two places in Italy from the final match day. In Russia the last direct qualification spot is between FK Krasnodar and Locomotive Moscow. If Arsenal win the Europa League then the London team would be the fifth English side in the Champions League. The remaining places will be decided in the qualifying rounds from the end of June.
The final will be played on 30 May 2020 – for the second time since 2005 – at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in the Turkish capital Istanbul (75,145 capacity).
Bayer 04 supporters can already secure tickets for Champions League home games. With a Bundesliga Plus season card. This option secures a seat for all Bayer 04 competitive games at the BayArena in the 2019/20 season, for the Bundesliga fixtures and additional games in the DFB Cup and the Champions League.
A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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Bayer 04 produced a dominant and impressive 4-0 win over Union Berlin as they picked up three points in their first home game of the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Exequiel Fernández opened the scoring after only 41 seconds, with Facundo Medina doubling the lead before the half-hour mark. Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza continued the procession in the second period, in which Moussa Diaby came on for his first Leverkusen appearance for over three years.
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