After the results on the last matchday, the Werkself can no longer be caught by their rivals from Frankfurt and Freiburg and are therefore guaranteed to finish at least sixth in the Bundesliga and compete in the Europa League. The focus is now exclusively upwards and therefore on TSG Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart. Both clubs currently have a two-point lead, and they face each other on Saturday afternoon.
A draw in this head-to-head clash would see the Werkself leap into fourth place if they beat RB Leipzig at home in the top match on Saturday night. From then on, Bayer 04 would have everything in their own hands. If either Hoffenheim or Stuttgart win like Leverkusen, the Black and Reds would finish fifth behind the winner of this clash. In the end, this could also entitle them to participate in the Champions League (see below).
Bayer 04:
TSG Hoffenheim:
VfB Stuttgart:
Whether four or five Bundesliga clubs will compete in the Champions League next season depends on the performance of the participants in this year's UEFA competitions. The overview is provided by the UEFA rankings, also known as the UEFA coefficient. In the end, only the two best associations in the ranking will receive an additional fifth Champions League starting place in the coming season.
England have an unassailable lead, while Portugal, in fourth place, have little chance of finishing second in the UEFA rankings. This means that Spain and Germany are currently in a tight race for second place.
UEFA ranking (as at 1 May):
The points average of the UEFA participants from the respective association is ultimately decisive for the ranking. As the Bundesliga had one less starter than Spain's La Liga this season, positive results for the remaining German participants (Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg) carry more weight than those of the remaining Spanish representatives Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. To summarise, the two German clubs must be more successful in the knockout matches (semi-finals and final) than their Spanish rivals.
Atlético Madrid face Arsenal in the Champions League, while Rayo Vallecano take on Racing Strasbourg in the Conference League. Bayern Munich face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and SC Freiburg take on Sporting Braga in the Europa League.
Nine points are still up for grabs for the Werkself, and the position in the season run-in is more than exciting. The two home games against RB Leipzig (Saturday, 2 May, 18:30 CEST) and Hamburger SV (Saturday, 16 May, 15:30 CEST) are sold out. An important appeal to Bayer 04 fans: If you are unable to use your season card or match tickets for these games, please put them on the official Bayer 04 ticket exchange. The demand for tickets for these games is very high.
More than 3,000 away tickets have already been sold for the last away game of the season in Stuttgart (Saturday, 9 May, 15:30 CEST). Anyone who does not yet have a ticket and is a Bayer 04 Club member or season card holder can register HERE to secure tickets.
For the run-in, Nordkurve12 has once again called for ‘Finally Red’ at the Werkself's last three games. Let's go for the season finale - all in red, all together!
In their third friendly of this pre-season, Bayer 04 played on home soil for the first time – and won there too! The Werkself claimed a comfortable 4-0 victory against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. Jeanuel Belocian (9’) and Nathan Tella (42’) gave a dominant Leverkusen a 2-0 lead at the break, which Afonso Moreira (51’) and Christian Kofane (53’) doubled after the break. Among the many second-half substitutions was Patrik Schick, who made his first friendly appearance of the summer.
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The Werkself are finally back. On Saturday 8 August, Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign with their opening match. But there’s far more than just a double-header in store for Werkself supporters. True to the motto ‘One day. Two teams. One club’, the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be transformed into a world of excitement.
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The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...
After the children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy grilled Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch last week, another group of 20 young Werkself fans gathered at the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday afternoon, 28 July . This time, the kids directed their questions at Tim Oermann and Jonah Berghoff. Defender Oermann raved about his school days, whilst talented midfielder Berghoff revealed to the young footballers, amongst other things, who his favourite player is – and he is also at Bayer 04. To round things off, the pair naturally obliged with all requests for autographs and selfies.
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Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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