
The opening fixtures in the play-offs, to be played using the FIFA Ultimate Team online friendly format, involve the Xbox players. Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ De Cae and his rivals start on Saturday, 15 May at 13.00 CEST in the first of four Swiss Rounds on the day.
One round consists of first and second legs with the goals scored combined. If the scores are level after the two 90-minutes then the winner will be determined in extra time and on penalties if required. The first Swiss Round for the PlayStation 4 players starts at 17.30 CEST on Saturday night. Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin and Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr will represent the Werkself.
The fifth Swiss Round is on Sunday, 16 May, and is followed by the knockout stages (Round of 32 & Round of 16). The kick-off for competitors on both formats is at 17.00 CEST. All players with a maximum of two defeats after five Swiss Rounds will progress to the knockout phase. The winners of the Round of 16 matches will go through to the VBL Grand Final.
Details of the tournament mode of the VBL play-offs can be found HERE.
Xbox:
Saturday, 15 May:
Sunday, 16 May:
PlayStation 4:
Saturday, 15 May:
Sunday, 16 May:

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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