Before the first training session at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, head coach Achim Feifel gathered his players together for an in-depth meeting before stepping onto the pitch at 18.30 CEST. The group included goalkeeper Friederike Abt, Julia Pollak, Caroline Siems, Dina Blagojevic, Clara Fröhlich, Irina Pando and Amira Arfaoui. They all signed for Bayer 04 in the summer.
Lisanne Gräwe, ,who joined Bayer 04 from DFB Cup winners VfL Wolfsburg, missed the opening session. The 18-year-old is currently doing her basic training with the Bundeswehr and will join pre-season training in the next few weeks. Also missing were Nina Brüggemann, Jessica Wich, Melissa Friedrich and Ann-Kathrin Vinken. They are all currently in rehab and were only able to watch their teammates on Wednesday evening.
The programme on day one of the five-week pre-season consisted of drills with the ball primarily in enclosed space and finished with shots. The Women's team will undergo obligatory performance tests at the BayArena on Thursday and Friday. The next session on the training ground is planned for Sunday morning.
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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