"We face a tough challenge with three matches in seven days against teams we have to beat to go through to the next round," said Germany coach Meikel Schönweitz ahead of the opening fixture. Thanks to the outstanding finishing from Kai Havertz, Germany have taken the first important step to playing in next year's finals in Finland. The first two teams in each group of four qualify for the second qualifying round of the European Championships to be played early in 2018.
The Germany captain opened the scoring on 17 minutes, scored the second goal from a free-kick 17 minutes after the restart before netting from the penalty spot to make it 3-1 on 64 minutes after Belarus pulled a goal back just before the hour mark. Havertz crowned a sensational performance with an assist for Arne Maier (Hertha Berlin) for the fourth goal before converting a second spot-kick in the final minute to round off the scoring at 5-1. Belarus ended the match with nine players after two red cards (63 and 68 minutes).
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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