Bayer 04 are already committed to the city in a number of ways. The club supports a range of projects and runs the annual 'Wir(04)helfen' charity day that helps with the refurbishment of nurseries, schoolyards and green spaces. This tried and tested cooperation is now to be extended and established on a wider basis.
The aim of both partners is to significantly improve the visibility of the club within the city and also jointly implement measures and projects important to the community.
"Bayer 04 Leverkusen is not only a significant commercial enterprise but, above all, one of the most important factors in the image of our city," said the mayor Uwe Richrath. "I'm very much looking forward to putting our existing partnership on a contractual basis and further extending the commitment of the club in the city."
"As a club, we benefit to a great extent from the commitment of council employees particularly on matchdays," said Fernando Carro, managing director of Bayer 04. "With this contract, we want to document our understanding of the acquisition of social and communal responsibility. Accordingly, we are very keen that Bayer 04 plays a visible and tangible role in the life of the city of Leverkusen."
It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 derby win at 1. FC Köln Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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There were celebrations among those in black and red at the RheinEnergieSTADION. On Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, the Werkself beat 1. FC Köln 2-0 and registered their sixth successive win in the derby. Aleix Garcia put Bayer 04 in front after just seven minutes with a direct free kick. Leverkusen played with discipline and energy after that and didn't allow some fierce challenges to unsettle them. Patrik Schick made it 2-0 in the 86th minute, and Said El Mala's goal in stoppage time for Köln proved nothing more than consolation. Jonas Hofmann crowned the derby win with his 100th appearance for the club.
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