Bayer 04 had a long wait to discover their opponents in the first round of the DFB Cup: When Palina Rojinski pulled out the 62nd of 64 balls, Heiko Herrlich's team were drawn against Oberliga side CfR Pforzheim for in the first competitive match of the new campaign.
This will be the first ever game between Bayer 04 and Pforzheim. The club from central Baden was established in 2010 following the merger of VfR Pforzheim and FC Pforzheim. The club has been in the Baden-Württemberg Oberliga since promotion in 2015. The team coached by Gökhan Gökce finished thirteenth last season.
Pforzheim qualified for the DFB Cup as finalists of the Baden State Cup. CfR lost 6-5 on penalties but went through as the winners Karlsruher SC, last season's first round opponents for the Werkself, qualify for the national cup competition as a third division club.
The first round ties in the DFB Cup will played from 17-20 August with the final details of the fixtures to be confirmed.
DFB Cup Round One draw in full:
SV Linx (Verbandsliga) v FC Nürnberg (Bundesliga)
SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Division 3) v FC St. Pauli (Bundesliga 2)
SV Rödinghausen (Regional League West) v Dynamo Dresden (Bundesliga 2)
FC Magdeburg (Bundesliga 2) v SV Darmstadt 98 (Bundesliga 2)
FC Lok Stendal (Oberliga) v Arminia Bielefeld (Bundesliga 2)
TuS Erndtebrück (Oberliga) v Hamburg SV (Bundesliga 2)
TSV Steinbach (Regional League South West) v FC Augsburg (Bundesliga)
TuS Rot-Weiß Koblenz (Oberliga) v Fortuna Düsseldorf (Bundesliga)
SpVgg Greuther Fürth (Bundesliga 2) v Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
TSV 1860 München (Division 3) v Holstein Kiel (Bundesliga 2)
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (Regional League West) v SV Sandhausen (Bundesliga 2)
Erzgebirge Aue (Bundesliga 2) v FSV Mainz 05 (Bundesliga)
Weiche Flensburg 08 (Regional League North) v VfL Bochum (Bundesliga 2)
BSG Chemie Leipzig (Oberliga) v Jahn Regensburg (Bundesliga 2)
SV Elversberg 07 (Regional League South West) v VfL Wolfsburg (Bundesliga)
TuS Dassendorf (Oberliga) v MSV Duisburg (Bundesliga 2)
FC Schweinfurt 05 (Regional League Bavaria) v Schalke 04 (Bundesliga)
BFC Dynamo (Regional League North) v FC Köln (Bundesliga 2)
Wormatia Worms (Regional League South West) v Werder Bremen (Bundesliga)
SV Drochtersen/Assel (Regional League North) v Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)
SSV Jeddeloh II (Regional League North) v FC Heidenheim (Bundesliga 2)
FC Kaiserslautern (Division 3) v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Bundesliga)
Viktoria Köln (Regional League West) v RB Leipzig (Bundesliga)
Carl Zeiss Jena (Division 3) v FC Union Berlin (Bundesliga 2)
SC Paderborn (Bundesliga 2) v FC Ingolstadt (Bundesliga 2)
BSC Hastedt (Oberliga) v Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga)
Energie Cottbus (Division 3) v SC Freiburg (Bundesliga)
Karlsruher SC (Division 3) v Hannover 96 (Bundesliga)
Eintracht Braunschweig (Division 3) v Hertha Berlin (Bundesliga)
Hansa Rostock (Division 3) v VfB Stuttgart (Bundesliga)
CfR Pforzheim (Oberliga) v Bayer 04
SSV Ulm (Regional League Bavaria) v Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga)
Key dates in 2018/2019 DFB Cup:
Round 2: 30/31 October 2018
Round of 16: 5/6 February 2019
Quarter-finals: 2/3 April 2019
Semi-finals: 23/24 April 2019
Final: 25 May 2019
From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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The draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 was made today, Friday 27 February: Bayer 04 face Premier League leaders Arsenal. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes sees the English team as a "top opponent" and is looking forward to meeting former Werkself players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie again.
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The Werkself are now unbeaten in five home games and without conceding a goal. Ahead of the game at the sold-out BayArena against Mainz 05 on Saturday, 28 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the coming week, his team's past performances and provided squad updates.
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