The reason for Bayer 04 qualifying for the Europa League – instead of the play-offs in the Conference League – is the following rule: The team finishing sixth in the Bundesliga enters the group stage of the Europa League providing the DFB Cup winner has already qualified for Europe via the league route. That is the case here as RB Leipzig finished third in the Bundesliga and therefore qualified for the Champions League.
Who the Werkself will face in the group stage of the Europa League will be decided at the draw on 1 September. Bayer 04 are in pot one. Also in pot one, and thereby excluded as immediate potential opponents, are the winners of this year’s Conference League (Fiorentina or West Ham United) plus Liverpool and Villareal. Another impossible pairing is against the second German team in the competition, SC Freiburg, who are in a different pot.
The date for the opening match in the group stage is already confirmed: The first fixture is on Thursday 21 September. The last game in the group is set for 14 December. The knockout stage begins in the New Year with the first leg of the play-offs on 15 February 2024. The final will be played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 22 May 2024.
The Sports Tribunal of the German Football Association (DFB) has fined Bayer 04 Leverkusen €185,000 for spectators setting off pyrotechnic devices during a total of five competitive matches. This relates to four Bundesliga matches and the DFB Pokal semi-final against Bayern Munich. The highest individual fine relates to the away match at FC Köln at the end of April.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch. The Germany youth international goalkeeper has signed a long-term contract with the Werkself running to 30 June 2029. The 18-year-old joined Leverkusen from FC Viktoria Köln in the summer of 2024.
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Ken Izekor is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join third-tier side Alemannia Aachen with immediate effect. The 19-year-old centre-forward joined the club from Alemannia in 2018, and Izekor is now returning to his hometown.
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The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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