+++ 15:20: The boys are back 🔊🔥 +++
Things got noisy at the BayArena! For the first time in almost two months, the Bayer 04 first-team players stepped back onto the hallowed turf of the stadium. Introduced by Petra ‘Pitti’ Dahl and Tobias Ufer, the Werkself players emerged onto the pitch via a tunnel at the south-west corner of the Arena.
Dribbling maestro Ibrahim Maza was in for a special honour: he was voted Player of the Season for 2025/26 by the Bayer 04 fans, and now CEO Fernando Carro and managing director sport Simon Rolfes, together with Bayer 04 Club members, presented him with the award. Congratulations, Ibo!
Fancy watching the Werkself’s home debut live? You’ll find the live stream and live updates on Bayer04.de. Go on, lads, get that second win!
+++ 15:00: First win of the day ✔️ +++
And what a win! Our women thrashed Feyenoord 7–0 – thanks to goals from Cornelia Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86'). Well done, girls! Click HERE for the full match report.
+++ 14:45: Black-and-red celebrations in the fan zones 🏟️👨👩👧👦 +++
The Bayer 04 Women are rushing through the UHS, with a lot of Bayer 04 fans are swarming through the BayArena. There’s plenty going on at the many activity zones around the stadium. While the younger ones, freshly made up, let off steam on the bouncy castle, the slightly older ones are having a go at Früh’s beer pong station or the BarmeniaGothaer LED goal wall. Of course, there are still plenty of stamp hunters out and about with their Werkself passes.
+++ 14:00: Hi lads! 👋💪 +++
A strong first-half performance from our Bayer 04 women’s team – the score is 3–0 at half-time. The sight of the men’s team did nothing to dampen the exuberant atmosphere at the UHS; on the contrary: The Bayer 04 fans gave a rousing welcome to Edmond Tapsoba, Aleix Garcia and co. as they ran across the pitch, past many Löwenclub kids, into the BayArena tunnel. Also in the mix: new signing Miguel Gutiérrez. While the lads are preparing for the friendly against Sevilla (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the women need to hold on to their lead until the final whistle.
+++ 13:00: With Fernando Carro – Presentation of the Bayer 04 Women’s team 🎤🏟️ +++
The women kicked things off! In turn, the Bayer 04 players walked onto the pitch at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium through a guard of honour formed by the Löwenclub, to the applause of the large crowd of fans. Many new signings were also among them.
A special honour went to Vanessa Fudalla – the striker was voted Player of the Season for 2025/26 by the Bayer 04 fans and she was presented with her award by Fernando Carro and a Bayer 04 Club official. Congratulations, Vanessa!
The match is already underway at the UHS – fancy joining Karim Bellarabi and Falko Götz in watching it? You can catch the live stream on Bayer04.de!
+++ 12:50: Werkself Pass – the stamp hunt is on ➡️🔥 +++
The stamp hunt with the Werkself Pass is also already in full swing. Diligent collectors can look forward to great instant prizes at the end – and the lucky few to exclusive top prizes. To win these, they first need to complete exciting missions at the various activity zones around the BayArena. Fancy joining in? Then pick up your Werkself Pass now at the volunteer stand on the corner of Piazza and North Stand, or from 13:30 CEST at the main volunteer stand in front of the family stand in the east, and join the hunt!
+++ 12:35: Legends Brunch in the beer garden 💬⚽ +++
Chatting with the Werkself heroes from their childhood and youth over a delicious meal – that was the order of the day in the beer garden in the north-west of the BayArena. Joining the many delighted Bayer 04 fans were, amongst others, Werkself record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn, 1988 UEFA Cup winner Falko Götz, club legend Paulo Sergio and speedy winger Karim Bellarabi. CEO Fernando Carro also popped in to the event. Everyone was clearly delighted to chat to those present over a Mettbrötchen about past successes and future goals, take photos and sign autographs.
+++ 11:30: West Stand opens its doors 🚪😍 +++
Black-and-red greetings from the BayArena – though for now, only from the West Stand. This is where the action will be until the stadium opens fully at 13:30. Whether it’s the Legends’ Brunch, the exhibition match featuring the Inklusionswerkself, or accessing the first activity zones with the Werkself Pass: early-bird fans will have the most fun here.
You can find further information on the season launch HERE.
Season launch events at a glance:
11:30: West Stand opens
13:00: Presentation of the Bayer 04 women’s team (UHS)
13:15: Kick-off: Bayer 04 Women v Feyenoord (UHS)
13:30: The rest of the BayArena opens to the public
14:00: Arrival of the Bayer 04 men’s team (UHS)
15:20: Bayer 04 men’s team presentation (BayArena)
15:30: Kick-off: Bayer 04 Men v Sevilla (BayArena)
Around 18:00: Localised fan events with players (BayArena, UHS)
Bayer 04 are back at the BayArena! Under the slogan “One day. Two teams. One club.”, the Leverkusen stadium grounds will be transformed into a world of experiences – with a wide range of exclusive activities both on and off the pitch. Keep track of all the highlights in our blog for the 2026 season launch.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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