Ivory Coast have successfully overcome the first hurdle in Group E: They faced Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday night in Douala in Cameroon. The Ivorian favourites picked up their first three points thanks to the early and only goal scored by Max Gradel on five minutes. Odilon Kossounou, who featured in all of last year’s qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, did not play in this match.
The next outing for the West African side is against Sierra Leone on Sunday, 16 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET). The final group match, on Thursday, 20 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET), is against the reigning champions Algeria. All AFCON matches are being broadcast on the streaming service DAZN.
Kossounou’s teammate Edmond Tapsoba is taking part in the tournament with Burkina Faso. Their opening match against hosts Cameroon began with a 2-1 defeat with the Werkself player not in the Burkina Faso line-up.
The next match in Group A is today, 13 January (kick-off: 20.00 CET). Cape Verde are the opponents. Burkina Faso round off the group stage against Ethiopia on Monday, 17 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET).
Before Kossounou and Tapsoba, 04 players on the Leverkusen books had previously played in the Africa Cup Nations:
Daniel Addo (Ghana, 1996 in South Africa)
The first Werkself player to appear at the Africa Cup of Nations was Daniel Addo. The midfielder joined Leverkusen from the Ghanaian club Accra Great Olympics at the age of 17 in 1993. He took part in AFCON three years later. After three wins in three games in the group stage and the quarter-final victory against Zaire, Addo and Co. played South Africa – and ended up on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline against the hosts. Ghana finished fourth after losing 1-0 to Zambia the third-place play-off. Two years after the tournament, the now 45-year-old, who mostly played for the second team at Leverkusen, joined Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Appearances at AFCON 1996: Two
Finish at AFCON 1996: Fourth
At Bayer 04: 1993 to 1998
Pascal Ojigwe (Nigeria, 2002 in Mali)
After two tournaments without any Black and Red involvement, Pascal Ojigwe became the second Werkself player to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations. As with his predecessor Addo, the defensive midfielder was able to win the group with Nigeria as well as the following quarter-final encounter. Going out of the tournament again came in the semi-finals – this time against Senegal. Dreams of winning the title faded after a 2-1 defeat after extra time. The Leverkusen player Ojigwe did end the tournament with a medal: Nigeria finished in third place after a 1-0 win against hosts Mali.
Appearances at AFCON 2002: Two
Finish at AFCON 2002: Third
At Bayer 04: 2000 to 2003
Hans Sarpei (Ghana, 2008 in Ghana)
Six years passed again before another Leverkusen player was at the Africa Cup of Nations. Hans Sarpei, who joined the Werkself from VfL Wolfsburg a few months before, was at a very special finals tournament: AFCON number 23 was played in Ghana – the home country of the Werkself left-back. The hosts qualified for the quarter-finals in second place but Sarpei and Co. were knocked out in the semi-finals in a 1-0 defeat against Cameroon. Good news: the now 45-year-old, who played in all six matches in the tournament, received the bronze medal following a 4-2 victory against Ivory Coast in the third-place play off.
Appearances at AFCON 2008: Six
Finish at AFCON 2008: Third
At Bayer 04: 2007 to 2010
Karim Haggui (Tunisia, 2008 in Ghana)
The Tunisian player Karim Haggui, who previously played in France for Racing Strasbourg, joined the Werkself in the summer of 2006. The central defender took part in the tournament in Ghana with Tunisia. Again, the team with the Leverkusen player in their squad, qualified for the quarter-finals. However, the quarter-finals stage marked the end for Haggui and Co. as they lost 3-2 after extra time to the finalists Cameroon. The now 37-year-old appeared for Tunisia in all four games.
Appearances at AFCON 2008: Four
Finish at AFCON 2008: Quarter-finals
At Bayer 04: 2006 to 2009
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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