The ties in the eCup will – similarly to the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) – be played on a best-of-three basis. First up are two 1 vs 1 games. The Leverkusen eSports players Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr and Furkan ‘FURKY’ Kayacik will first individually meet an opponent from FC 08 Hassloch from the Rhineland Palatinate. If there is no overall winner from these two games then a third will be played as a 2 vs 2 to decide the winner. The winner in the first round proper will progress to the second round of the competition.
The games in the tie between FC 08 Hassloch in the first round proper of the DFB eCup will be streamed on the Bayer 04 Twitch channel as well as the Bayer 04 app.
The DFB eCup is a statewide virtual football competition run by the German Football Association (DFB). In addition to eSport professional players, amateur teams from Germany can also take part. The first round proper brings together the winners from the qualifying rounds and eSports players from the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL). The Bayer 04 eSports team ended the North West division of the VBL in seventh place.
Forthcoming fixture dates:
Second round: 26 April
Round of 16: 25 May
Quarter-finals: 16 June
Semi-finals and final: 17 June
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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