In Group A, there is a clash between Leverkusen teammates: Piero Hincapie with Ecuador and Jeremie Frimpong with the Netherlands face each other on matchday 2 (25 November, 17.00 CET). Frimpong on his World Cup call-up: "I'm very happy about being called up. It's a dream for every player to be at a World Cup. Now it's come true for me." The other teams in the group are Qatar, who Hincapie and Co. face in the opening match on 20 November, and Senegal.
The Black and Reds are also represented in Group B: Iran with Bayer 04 striker Sardar Azmoun play England in their first game on 21 November. That is followed four days later by the group match against Wales and Iran finish the group stage with the clash with the USA on 29 November.
Another Werkself player is battling to progress to the knockout rounds with his fellow countrymen in Group C: Exequiel Palacios, along with the seven-time FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, is in the Argentina squad. The Leverkusen midfielder and the Albiceleste play Saudi Arabia (22 November), Mexico (26 November) and Poland (30 November).
Florian Wirtz is not at the World Cup. The 19-year-old midfielder has been out of action since the middle of March due to a torn cruciate and has recently returned to full training with the Werkself. Germany coach Hansi Flick spoke about Wirtz at the press conference presenting the Germany World Cup squad on Thursday: "There's no question we would have been glad to have a player with the quality of Florian Wirtz. But he's been out for a long time with a serious injury and is now just coming back into full training. The most important thing for him is to get back on the pitch fit and well and then give his all again in January."
Wirtz travelled to St. Louis with his Leverkusen teammates on Sunday 13 November for the #Bayer04USATour. The tour includes a friendly against St. Louis CITY Soccer Club on Wednesday 16 November.
World Cup group games involving Bayer 04 players:
Jeremie Frimpong (Netherlands)
Senegal vs Netherlands (Monday, 21 November, 17.00 CET)
Netherlands vs Ecuador (Friday, 25 November, 17.00 CET)
Netherlands vs Qatar (Tuesday, 29 November, 16.00 CET)
Piero Hincapie (Ecuador):
Qatar vs Ecuador (Sunday, 20 November, 17.00 CET)
Netherlands vs Ecuador (Friday, 25 November, 17.00 CET)
Ecuador vs Senegal (Tuesday, 29 November, 16.00 CET)
Sardar Azmoun (Iran):
England vs Iran (Monday, 21 November, 14.00 CET)
Wales vs Iran (Friday, 25 November, 11.00 CET)
Iran vs USA (Tuesday, 29 November, 20.00 CET)
Exequiel Palacios (Argentina):
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (Tuesday, 22. November, 11.00 CET)
Argentina vs Mexico (Saturday, 26 November, 20.00 CET)
Poland vs Argentina (Wednesday, 30 November, 20.00 CET)
A number of countries who have not qualified for the World Cup finals in Qatar are involved in friendlies in November. That includes Bayer 04 captain Lukas Hradecky with Finland who play North Macedonia on 17 November and Norway three days later.
Morocco's capital Marrakesh is the venue for two Leverkusen defenders playing each other: Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso meet the Ivory Coast on 19 November. Amine Adli is on the road with the France U21 squad and they play Norway in Caen on 19 November.
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
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A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
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For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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