The Leverkusen youth teams each start with a group match against Alemannia Aachen. The U19 players kick off their first match in the NRW League Cup at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre at 10.30 CEST. However, due to the crowd restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, only parents and relatives of the players will be able to watch the U19 fixture against Aachen at the stadium. The players' families have already been informed about access procedures.
There will be 329 seats available for Bayer 04 youth matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. That means spectators will be able to attend the U17 NRW League Cup opener on Saturday. The clash with Alemannia Aachen kicks off at 11.00 CEST.
Access begins approximately 45 minutes before kick-off via the North/West entrance to the BayArena. Spectators are asked to check in via QR codes before entering UHS. In addition, spectators must be fully vaccinated, recovered or tested (3G - geimpft, genesen, getestet). Children from the age of six need a certificated, negative test result that is not more than 24 hours old. The relevant documents are to be presented at the entrance to the stadium.
Face coverings are to be worn throughout the stadium and may only be taken off at your seat. Bayer 04 will not provide any catering but spectators can bring their own food and drink (up to 0.5 litres, exclusively in PET bottles and non-alcoholic).
The West German Football Association (WDFV) have set up the NRW League Cup to bridge the long gap before the start of the Western sections in the U19 and U17 Bundesligas at the start of September and also to provide the talented youngsters with an additional stage to perform on. This is open exclusively to clubs from the U19 and U17 Bundesliga West leagues with each team having to play at least three games. The teams play each other in four groups and each group winner will qualify for the semi-finals.
The Leverkusen U19s will play Aachen, Borussia Dortmund and Preußen Münster in Group 3. The Bayer 04 U17s will face Aachen and the youth teams of Fortuna Düsseldorf and Münster in Group 2. The group matches will be played on three weekends starting this weekend (7/8 August). The U17 League Cup final as in the first week of September and the U19 final is set to be played on 20 November.
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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