“We started the project in 2015 and have held it in Cologne five times. There is always great demand and that’s why we start selling tickets for the following year immediately after the event,” explained Ralf Becker from the organisers DuMont LiveKon. “We started taking advance bookings for the event in Leverkusen today. We’ve already sold 2,500 without any real advertising.”
Stefan Kießling, on behalf of the Bayer 04 management, is already looking forward to the singing at his sporting home: “It will be a beautiful, pre-Christmas celebration for all our guests,” said the former striker who often sings Christmas carols with his children. “We’ve got a special playlist for that. And as soon as the festive season arrives, the requests start coming from the back of the car.”
Choir director Michael Kokott can hardly wait for the event either: “In contrast to the title of the event, there are no Rhineland songs on the night but rather classic and international Christmas carols.” The communal pre-Christmas event brings generations together and it provides its own “personal stamp” to a reflective, family atmosphere. This will help to transform the stadium into a cathedral. “The public are the star at this event and they are centre-stage. Every visitor is cordially invited to join in with the singing,” said Kokott.
Song sheets will be provided and the words projected on screens in the stadium. The music group ‘Loss mer Weihnachtsleeder singe’ will be joined by the Bayer AG choir and St. Stephan’s youth choir. Any other choirs interested in taking part are welcome to contact the organisers.
The event on 21 December starts at 19.00 CET, doors open at 17.00 CET. Tickets are available from €5 plus booking fee at www.koelnticket.de.
Freiburg’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend left them two places but a whole 10 points behind Bayer 04. Their results in general may be mixed, but Julian Schuster’s side are a force to be reckoned with at home, where they have earned 24 of their 33 points. Leverkusen may choose to look for the aerial route if they’re to get the better of their hosts, who have conceded more headed goals than any other team. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game in our matchday news.
Show more
A boost for the second Bundesliga away game in a row: The Werkself take on SC Freiburg just three days after the convincing 1-0 win at Hamburger SV. Ahead of the game on Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the lessons learned from the rearranged fixture at HSV, a trio on yellow cards and young players like Christian Kofane and Montrell Culbreath.
Show more
SC Freiburg suffered their eighth away defeat of the season in Frankfurt last weekend. But at home, at the Europa Park Stadion, coach Julian Schuster's team are clocking up one win after the next. SCF are unbeaten in the last 16 matches at home. On Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), they will be looking to keep the run going in the clash with the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
For the third time in a row, the Leverkusen eSports players have made it through to the final round of the VBL Club Championship. From 7 to 8 March, they will compete for the German Club Championship at XPERION in Hamburg. At the start of the final round, they face Hamburger SV in the Round of 16. The match starts at 19:30 CET on Saturday, 7 March and will be broadcast live on the VBL Twitch channel. The eSports preview.
Show more
The German Football League (DFL) has scheduled Matchdays 28 to 30 in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The fixtures at a glance.
Show more
