Merle Barth joined the Bayer 04 U17 squad in 2009; the defender made her debut in the Women's Bundesliga the following season and went on to make 144 appearances. The 26-year-old earned a regular berth in the team and wore the captain's armband at the start of this campaign. "We'd like to thank Merle for the past eleven years at Leverkusen. She is an outstanding player and remained loyal to the club in good times and less good times. We wish her all the best and good health in her professional and personal future," said Linda Schöttler, section head of women's football at Bayer 04.
Lena Uebach joined the Bayer 04 Women in 2017/18 as a U17 European Champion. The 19-year-old signed for Leverkusen in the second division from fourth division Sportfreunde Siegen. After one season, she helped Leverkusen get promoted to the top flight. The striker made 58 appearances for the Black and Reds. "Lena played a big part in us getting promoted again and has matured a lot in the last three years. We are very proud of having been able to play our part in her brilliant development and we wish her all the best for the new challenge at Turbine Potsdam," said Schöttler.
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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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
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While the majority of the Bayer 04 Women are enjoying their summer break, nine Werkself players will be on duty for their national teams in the coming days. Three of them are competing for a place at the World Cup, while six are involved in two friendlies with the Germany U23 team.
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