The match against Würzburger Kickers will be played at the JAKO Arena in Hollenbach in a 17.30 CET kick-off. The friendly has been organised by JAKO AG, kit supplier to both teams, in association with FSV Hollenbach.
Rudi Sprügel, founder and chairman of the board at JAKO AG: "I'm happy we can provide people from our home region with a great night of football. We have deep roots in Hohenlohe and therefore it is something special for me and our 230 employees to be able to watch the two teams on the pitch where our history as a sports kit supplier began."
After Rudi Sprügel founded JAKO Sportartikel Vertriebs GmbH in 1989 in his brother’s garage, the footballers of FSV Hollenbach were the first team to play in JAKO strips. Bayer 04 Leverkusen with the first team to wear the brand in the UEFA Champions League last season. Würzburger Kickers are not just regional neighbours for JAKO but also the club where Sprügel played in the second Bundesliga South division in 1977/78.
‘JAKO Land’ on the artificial pitch opens its gates at 15.30 CET. Children are warmly welcome to make full use of the sports games available. Adults can enjoy a cool evening drink at one of the many catering stands. Due to safety considerations, bags are not permitted on the sports ground. In addition to the main entrance there is also another gate on the south side of the ground. Parking is available at the companies ebm-papst and JAKO.
Entrance is free for children under the age of 13. Children aged from 14 to 17, students, senior citizens and women are entitled to the concession tickets for €5 and the adult price is €10. Tickets are available from Monday 26 June online www.jako.de and from local ticket outlets.
Friendly at SV Sandhausen
Bayer 04's friendly at second division SV Sandhausen will be played at the BWT Stadion am Hardtwald on 23 July with a 14.30 CET kick-off. Sandhausen have been in the second division since the 2012/13 season and they finished in tenth place last term. SVS players Leart Paqarada, Erik Zenga and Richard Sukuta-Pasu started their careers at Bayer 04.
Following the match, Bayer 04 will head straight to the training camp in Zell am See/Kaprun where they will prepare for the new campaign for the fifth time in succession.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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