
"Leverkusen are currently one of the best teams in the world," highlighted Mexico national team boss Lozano, around 10 years after his previous visit to the BayArena for a Werkself home match. "The way they play and go about it is very impressive. Bayer 04 and the Bundesliga have been highly regarded in Central and South America for many years and attract great interest. We Mexicans love watching the games of clubs like Bayer 04, Dortmund or Bayern."
Lozano used his visit to Leverkusen to learn a thing or two about the day-to-day work of the coaching team led by Xabi Alonso and the club's management. "Xabi, his staff and the entire club are doing a great job," said the 45-year-old: "That's also being heard in Mexico. The positive development of the club is being followed with great interest there."

After attending the Werkself's training session on Tuesday outside the BayArena, Lozano and his three fellow coaches also used the time under the Cross to hold talks with Bayer 04 bosses, including CEO Fernando Carro. "We are happy about every exchange and every new experience that we can take away from such trips," said Lozano, who also visits the Mexican internationals playing in Europe with his coaching team.
For the Mexican national team, the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final against Panama is on the horizon in around four weeks' time. Then in the summer there's an unusual highlight: Mexico, like the USA and Canada, will take part in the Copa America, the South American continental tournament. The three nations from the North and Central American Football Association will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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.
Show more
“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.
Show more
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...
Show more
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...
Show more
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.
Show more