The promotion heroes of 1979 kick-off this black and red weekend. Nearly all members of the team around World Cup winner Dieter Herzog, Fred Bockholt, Jürgen Gelsdorf and Thomas Hörster will be there when celebrations begin in the VIP area at the BayArena at 19.04 CET. An entertaining programme has been put together by Rüdiger Vollborn and Dirk Dreher with historic video and photographic material plus interviews bringing the promotion season and the first years in the Bundesliga to life. A journey through time in the 1970s and 1980s that no Bayer 04 supporter should miss.
Tickets for 'Promotion Day' are available now for five euros (including free drink) from the Bayer 04 Fan Liaison (Bayer 04 Fan House, Breidenbachstraße 46, 51373 Leverkusen) and from 16.00 CET at the home game for the Werkself against Eintracht Frankfurt (5 May, 18.00 CET) from the fan container. Each ticket sold helps to support the 'Kreative Schwarz Rot' club that implements and finances creative ideas for the Leverkusen fans with choreography for example.
While the team under head coach Peter Bosz are battling for important points to qualify for Europe in the match against FC Schalke 04 on 11 May, there will be supporting events on the day of the match celebrating '40 years Bundesliga under the Bayer Cross'.
In March the club called on fans to vote online for the best players over the course of time in the Bundesliga. 12,000 votes were cast and the outcome was the Bundesliga All-Stars – 40 players plus 5 coaches who have all been invited to Leverkusen for the weekend by the management at Bayer 04. Ahead of kick-off, players like Bernd Schneider, Ulf Kirsten, Zé Roberto, Dimitar Berbatov and Bum-kun Cha plus coaching legends Christoph Daum, Klaus Toppmöller and Erich Ribbeck will be honoured in the stadium. The programme of events including a special shirt, and historic matchday magazine and different entertainments will show on 11 May that it is no ordinary matchday at Bismarckstraße.
Experience the history of the club first hand. On Sunday 12 May, fans of the Werkself can meet their heroes of yesterday, today and tomorrow – at the 'Tradition Day' in and around the BayArena. The doors at the BayArena open at 09.30 CET.
The first highlight is a match involving the Bundesliga All-Stars at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The Werkself legends play each other from 10.00 CET. While the All-Stars are toiling on the turf, visitors can make use of the Food & Drink stalls and try out the different games on offer. The West area of the BayArena will be open from 11.30 CET. Fans have the chance to see the press conference room, the VIP areas the Mixed Zone and also get on the team bus. The Bundesliga All-Stars, the promotion heroes of 1979 and members of the current team will be available at different points to talk to fans, sign autographs or pose for photos. The programme will be rounded off with a range of interviews conducted by legend stadium announcer Günter Maczkowiak and his successors Klaus Schenkmann, Pitti Dahl and Tobias Ufer on the stage in the Piazza and at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
Tickets (one euro each) for the 'Tradition Day' are available now (Bayer 04 ticket web shop, by phone on 0049 (0)214 5000 1904 or in person from the Bayer 04 shops).
The historical background
Bayer 04 Leverkusen finally reached their target on 30 May 1979. A 3-3 draw with Bayer 05 Uerdingen ensure promotion to Germany's top flight for the team coached by Willibert Kremer. The first Bundesliga campaign started on 11 August 1979 with an away game at Bayern Munich. Bayer 04 have been in the top division since that day – in addition the Werkself only by Munich and Borussia Dortmund share that claim.
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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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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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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