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.
Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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The Bayer 04 Women’s squad for the coming season is continuing to take shape: Centre-back Emily Wallrabenstein has moved to Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt’s reserve team, who play in the Women’s Bundesliga 2. The 19-year-old has penned a contract until 30 June 2028.
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Bayern 04 Women have confirmed another summer signing, with midfielder Paulina Platner moving to Leverkusen from SGS Essen. The 20-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the Werkself.
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