Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 Leverkusen CEO, said: "Kumho Tyre is a successful company that thinks and acts globally. They have been a strong partner that fits in really well with us and our ambitions. We've seen that the enthusiasm of the management for the Werkself and the club is big and continues to grow. These factors represent a good basis for continuing to work together."
Namhwa Cho, president of Kumho Tyre Europe GmbH, sees a big plus for the global company in their partnership with Bayer 04: "The brand recognition of Kumho Tyre has increased significantly over the past two years thanks to our sponsorship of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. We have therefore decided to extend our contract over the long term. Bayer 04 are amongst the top clubs in Europe and they stand for reliability, determination and for international prestige which, which are all crucial criteria for our partnerships in sport."
The partnership with the tyre manufacturer also includes a presence on matchdays at the BayArena, for example on advertising hoardings and substitution boards. In addition, the Werkself team bus will continue to be on the road on Kumho tyres.
Company profile:
Kumho Tyre, with the company headquarters in Seoul, was founded in 1960 and is now one of the leading tyre manufacturers worldwide with over 60 million tyres sold per year and an annual turnover of over €2 billion. With a work force of over 11,000, Kumho develops, produces and distributes tyres worldwide primarily for cars, vans and trucks. The tyres are used as original equipment worldwide including with Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Mini, Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, Seat, Fiat, Renault and the Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia. Kumho Tyre Europe GmbH, based in Offenbach, controls the marketing and sales activities in Germany and Europe.
Bayer 04 have comfortably reached the DFB Pokal second round thanks to a 4–0 victory away to Liga 3 side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Patrik Schick put the Werkself ahead in the first 45 in the first competitive match under head coach Carles Martínez with debuts for new signings Miguel Gutiérrez, Afonso Moreira and Facundo Medina. After the break, Lucas Vázquez (47'), Nathan Tella (69') and Christian Kofane (79') also found the back of the net.
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Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
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Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
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With the 2026/27 season set to kick off with a DFB Pokal tie away to SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Saturday, 22 August, 13:00 CEST), the squad numbers for two Werkself players have now been confirmed. New signing Afonso Moreira will wear the number 9, which he has already worn in pre-season friendlies. Lucas Vázquez is switching from number 21 to number 17 – the number he wore successfully at Real Madrid for many years.
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Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
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