"Bayer 04 Leverkusen had a phenomenal season and exceeded their own expectations by winning the league title and the DFB Pokal. That success is the result of hard work, great passion and genuine team spirit," said Minister President Hendrik Wüst. "We are proud that we have a club from North Rhine Westphalia at the top of the Bundesliga again after a long time. Leverkusen not only brought the title to North Rhine Westphalia but also showed what can be achieved with stamina and cohesion. Therefore I would like to sincerely congratulate the team and the whole club."
Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO: "We felt very honoured to receive the invitation from the Minister-President and we immediately accepted it with pleasure. We are very happy to have brought the Meisterschale back to the sporting state of North Rhine Westphalia for the first time in twelve years. We would like to thank everybody who supported us during that unforgettable time."
In the presence of the NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul, a season card holder at Bayer 04 for many years, Carro presented Minister-President Wüst with a signed champions jersey following a group photo.
Amongst other guests were Peter Frymuth (President of the Western German Football Association), Marc Adomat (City manager in Leverkusen), Nathanael Liminski (Head of the state chancellery), Dr. Thomas Wilk (District president of Cologne) and Anke Feller (Deputy chair of the NRW sports foundation).
The Werkself have reached at least the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal in each of the last three years. The Black-and-Reds would like to make it to the final four of the competition again this season, but to do that they'll need to overcome 1. FC Nürnberg in round two, who travel to the BayArena with momentum following a successful league campaign so far. However, Bayer have a 100 percent record at home in all competitions this season - and have also won six of their last seven home matches in the Pokal. The Matchday News.
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Back at home in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal, Bayer 04 host FC Nürnberg at the BayArena. The match against the current second-placed side in Bundesliga 2 is on Wednesday 28 October at 20:45 CET. Ahead of the game, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about his anticipation of the clash in front of a home crowd. The Spaniard also commented on a number of personnel matters, including Ibrahim Maza and Montrell Culbreath, plus the visitors’ coach, Miroslav Klose.
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Now in their third season under head coach Miroslav Klose, FC Nürnberg are among the promotion contenders in Bundesliga 2. On Wednesday 28 October (kick-off: 20:45 CET), the team currently second in the table are away to Bayer 04 in the second round of the DFB Pokal. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Werkself player Ibrahim Maza has been named in the top ten in the ‘Men’s Young Talent of the Year’ category for 2026. The 20-year-old was at the London Palladium on Monday evening for the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony. Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, also attended the ceremony. Lamine Yamal of Barcelona was named the winner in the ‘Men’s Young Talent of the Year’ category.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without forward Moussa Diaby for their upcoming matches. The 27-year-old Frenchman sustained a thigh injury in the 3-0 defeat against TSG Hoffenheim yesterday afternoon, Sunday 25 October. Diaby is expected to be available again after the international break in November.
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