In two groups of 16, the eSports pros from across Germany first competed in the Swiss Mode. The first four rounds were drawn out at random and then the players played round for round against participants with the same record of wins and defeats. The Leverkusen eSports player Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr ended the games in the first group in tenth place on Saturday 10 June. Kayacik played at the same time in the second group ending his games in seventh place.
The two Leverkusen players Landwehr and Kayacik each then faced each other after the group stage on Sunday 11 June, Kayacik won 1-0 to progress to the Round of 16. The Black and Red eSports player then lost 1-0 to Khalid ‘KHALIDGRL03’ Gürel (VfL Wolfsburg) and thereby missed qualification for the last eight in the VBL Grand Finals 2023.
The VBL Grand Final:
The 32 best eSports player in Germany competed in the VBL Grand Final after qualifying via the VBL Club Championships or in the play-offs in the VBL Open. The prize money was €100,000.
Results:
Landwehr in Group 1
Two games won, two games lost
Kayacik in Group 2
Two games won, two games lost
Round of 32
Landwehr against Kayacik: 0-1
Round of 16
Gürel against Kayacik: 1-0
A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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