The central design element of the new kit is the classic club badge. To fit in with the overall colour, the badge this year is in black and white, which fits the classic appearance of the new Werkself kit. Together with the red collar and red cuffs, the style of the shirt was developed by JAKO in close consultation with Stefan Kießling and the Werkself team committee.
"We wanted to interpret the classic club colours of Bayer 04 in a new and modern design," said the honorary captain who has been working as an adviser to the sporting management since 2018. Kießling, who is in close contact with former teammates, is working in tandem with Christoph Rohmer, head of sponsorship at JAKO, and his team. "In discussion with the players, we have also provided the sleeves with a higher percentage of elastane to enable improved movement in the upper body," explained Rohmer.
The black shirt has vertical pinstripes which symbolises the players of the Bundesliga team. Werkself is on the outside of the collar and Bayer 04 is printed on the inner side. The hems of the sleeve bear the name of the city of Leverkusen.
The new Werkself kit is available now from the online shop as well as from the fan shops in Wiesdorf and Bergisch-Gladbach. The shirt costs €79.90 (children sizes: €59.90) and is available in sizes from 128 up to 5XL.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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