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.
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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