
The Werkself are one of 48 teams qualified for the 48th season of this European club competition. Bayer 04 qualified by finishing fifth in the Bundesliga last season thus avoiding the play-offs that 31 clubs have been involved in over recent weeks – the final qualifiers will be played on Thursday.
In accordance with club coefficients, the 48 clubs will be divided into four pots. There will be 12 teams in each of the four pots. The 12 groups will consist of a team drawn from each of the pots. Bayer 04 will be in the first pot along with Arsenal, Chelsea and Villareal. Clubs from the same association (from Germany they are the cup winners Eintracht Frankfurt and possibly RB Leipzig) cannot meet at the group stage. The Werkself will be represented at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Friday by Fernando Carro (chairman of the board), Lennart Coerdt (assistant director sport) and Simon Pallmann (operational business section).
DAZN hold the rights to all 205 Europa League games from the current season to 2021 and the streaming service will broadcast the draw on Friday live from 13.00 CET. In addition, the two TV broadcasters RTL and RTL Nitro will broadcast 15 games on free TV. On each matchday, the TV contract with the RTL media group guarantees one exclusive live broadcast plus highlights from all the other games.
Matchday 1: 20 September
Matchday 2: 4 October
Matchday 3: 25 October
Matchday 4: 8 November
Matchday 5: 29 November
Matchday 6: 13 December

In Germany, the temperatures are currently around zero, leaving even professional footballers freezing - but not the Bayer 04 Women. Roberto Pätzold's team have fled the cold to the south and are preparing for the second half of the season at a training camp in the Algarve, almost 2,000 kilometres away from home as the crow flies. The Leverkusen squad landed in Faro on Saturday morning and have already completed the first three training sessions over the weekend.
Show more
It was a disappointing Saturday night. The Werkself lost 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart to start the new year on Bundesliga matchday 16 in 2025/26, a result that left both players and fans disappointed. "We played without any passion," said Alejandro Grimaldo honestly afterwards. Teammate Jarell Quansah was even more self-critical, emphasising: "We were miles off it in the first half. You can't put in a performance like that, especially in front of our own fans and I can only apologise to them, to be honest." Read on for the reaction, facts and stats from the clash with VfB Stuttgart in the Werkself review.
Show more
Women’s team forward Paulina Bartz is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play for Hamburg SV until the end of the season. The 20-year-old, whose contract runs to 2027, joins the Bundesliga newcomers on loan until the summer.
Show more
Jarell Quansah and Alejandro Grimaldo speak to Werkself-TV following Bayer 04's 4-1 defeat to VfB Stuttgart on Bundesliga Matchday 16...
Show more