04 days after the friendly at Wuppertaler SV (24 July), Bayer 04 are away to Fortuna Sittard who secured their return to the Dutch first division (Eredivisie) at the end of April. The club from near the border with Germany, finished last season as runners-up to the Ajax Amsterdam reserves (not entitled to be promoted) – a position that few would have predicted given their previous finishes (19, 16 and 17). On top of that, the club parted company during the campaign with their coach following disagreements with the former Nigeria international Sundaj Oliseh (43, also at Borussia Dortmund). However, under Portuguese interim coach Cláudio Braga (43),Fortuna Sittard remained on track to return to the top flight in Holland after a break of 16 years with a young team with an average age of 22.6 years.
Dutchman René Eijer (55) takes over as coach for the new campaign. The former Vitesse Arnhem player will have to manage without key player and captain Perr Schuurs. 30 June sees the end of loan deal of the 18-year-old Sittard homegrown player from league rivals Ajax Amsterdam. The club, founded in 1968, have produced a host of famous players with Huub Stevens (1970 to 1975), former Bayer 04 player Erik Meijer (1988 to 1989) and Mark van Bommel (1992 to 1999) starting their professional careers at Sittard.
The club play their home games at the Fortuna Sittard Stadium (capacity 12,500). The match against Bayer 04 is on 28 July at 18.00 CET.
After the friendly in Sittard, the Werkself pre-season includes games at SV Rosbach/Verscheid (18 July), Oberliga side Sportfreunde Siegen (21 July), Regional League Wuppertaler SV (24 July) and Spanish top-flight club Valencia (11 August).
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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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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