Third place in the team competition plus Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin as the best PlayStation player of the year – the #B04eSports players can go into the new campaign with plenty of confidence. “We want to build on the performances and wins, compete for the title and ideally win it,” said Florian Dederichs, head of eSports at Bayer 04.
For the first time in the still short history of the competition, the participants are divided into two groups according to geography for the forthcoming third season: The ‘North West division’ with Bayer 04 and the ‘South East division’ each have 13 clubs from the Bundesliga and the second division. There will be home and away games between all the clubs. Leverkusen’s division includes seven of the best eight teams in from the last VBL CC season.
From the final tables of the two groups, a total of four teams qualify for the Grand Final – the first and second teams in each. The clubs in positions three to six in each division have the chance to go through to the finals on 27 and 28 March via a play-off – and the opportunity to be the new club champions.
The individual matches will played on EA SPORTS FIFA 21 and, as last season, will be staged in a Davis Cup format: Two games are played one-against-one – one on PlayStation 4 and one on Xbox One. The third clash is two-against- two on the console chosen by the home club.
About the VBL:
In 2012, the DFL, in cooperation with EA SPORTS, set up the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) as the first professional football league to establish an eSport competition. The increasing popularity of the VBL plus the growing relevance of eSport and the focus of the DFL on computer football led to the decision in 2018 to also introduce an individual player competition the VBL Open and the VBL Club Championship with clubs in the Bundesliga and second division. Both competitions are brought together initially in the VBL Play-offs and then the VBL Grand Final.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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