Leno and Brandt contributed to Germany winning the Confed Cup in Russia last summer. And with impressive performances in the Bundesliga and DFB Cup they could again be considered by Joachim Löw. The same applies to U21 international captain Tah, who – exactly like Leno – received a vote of confidence from the Germany coach at the European Championships in France two years ago. "I'm very happy the three are in the provisional World Cup squad. Bernd, Jonathan and Julian have earned that after a great season at Bayer 04 where they were top performers and now they will do all they can to make it to Russia," said Bayer 04 sporting director Rudi Völler.
Bernd Leno was first included in the Germany squad in October 2015 and has since earned six caps. Last season, the 26-year-old Werkself number one only missed one competitive match (in the league against Borussia Dortmund due to a knee injury) – in the remaining 38 games he was in goal for the Herrlich team. Julian Brandt is also undoubtedly one of the key players at Bayer 04 and he played in every competitive match for the Black and Reds this season. The 22-year-old midfielder scored 12 goals (including nine in the league) and also provided seven assists. He made his full international debut at the end of May 2016 and has since played 13 games for Germany scoring one goal. U21 captain Jonathan Tah (three internationals) made his debut for Joachim Löw two years ago with the 22-year-old central defender primarily featuring for the Germany junior team. This season he has played 33 games for the Werkself (28 in the league, five in the DFB Cup) and he is one of the best ball winners in the league (with over 70 per cent of challenges won).
In addition to Leno, Brandt and Tah, Werkself pro Tin Jedvaj can dream of playing in the World Cup in Russia: The 22-year-old defender has been called up to the provisional Croatia squad by national coach Zlatko Dalić.
The Germany squad with 27 players set off for a training camp in South Tyrol next week. After a friendly against Austria (2 June, 18.00 CET), Joachim Löw will have two days to inform FIFA of his 23-man squad for the World Cup finals. The final squad will have one last friendly ahead of the tournament on 8 June when Germany meet Saudi Arabia at the BayArena (19.30 CET).
The first World Cup game for Germany (Group F) on 17 June (17.00 CET) is against Mexico with the road to the Round of 16 bringing the other group matches against Sweden (23 June, 20.00 CET) and South Korea (27 June, 16.00 CET).
Bayer 04 host Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The tie will be played on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, at the BayArena with the kick-off at 20:45 CEST. Information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 have the chance to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third time ever and the first in 14 years at Arsenal on Tuesday night (kick-off 21:00 CEST/20:00 local time). To do that, the Werkself not only require a strong performance like in the first leg, but also full concentration until the very last minute, as the Premier League leaders like to score late - as they did at the BayArena last week. Here's the Matchday News.
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A special award for special social commitment. At this year's ceremony for the Sepp Herberger Awards in Wolfsburg on Monday night, the DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation recognised Bayer 04 in the social rehabilitation category. The Bundesliga club received the prize, together with €12,000, for its great service to inmates, particularly in the Wuppertal-Ronsdorf prison.
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Can Bayer 04 pull off a coup in London? Just over a week after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, the Werkself are now looking to put in a convincing performance away at Arsenal – and get a result to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the match on Tuesday, (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand shared his thoughts on the team’s hunger for success. Exequiel Palacios, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of the fixture and the team’s development over the past few months.
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In their last two matches, they’ve done exactly what 'Laterkusen' did in the 2023/24 double-winning season: late on, but not too late, the Gunners scored crucial goals – first in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at Bayer 04, then last weekend in the Premier League against Everton. This Tuesday, 17 March (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Arsenal host the Werkself in London. The latest on our opponents.
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