Goalkeeper Bernd Leno and Julian Brandt have been called up by Joachim Löw for the next step towards qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The Germany team are runaway leaders in Group C with eight wins from eight games and they just need one point from Thursday night's (20.45 CET) away game in Belfast against closest rivals Northern Ireland to secure qualification. The final group match is on Sunday 8 October against Azerbaijan in Kaiserslautern.
Benjamin Henrichs and Jonathan Tah, who have often been in Löw's squad, are set to play for the Germany U21s this week. The team coached by Stefan Kuntz have European Championship qualifiers against Azerbaijan (Friday, 6 October 19.00 CET) and away to Norway (Tuesday, 10 October 19.00 CET) , Following on from the 1-0 victory over Kosovo on the first matchday. Another player for Germany is Kai Havertz with the U19 side playing three European Championship qualifiers in Poland: against Belarus (Wednesday, 4 October, 12.00 CET), Northern Ireland (Saturday, 7 October, 12.00 CET and the hosts Poland (Tuesday, 10 October, 18.00 CET). Havertz is joined in the squad by Bayer 04 U19 players Sam Schreck and Atakan Akkaynak.
Switzerland are also in with a fantastic chance of playing in the FIFA tournament in Russia in 2018. Admir Mehmedi and his team-mates have performed impressively in Group B and, like Germany, have a maximum return of 24 points from their eight games. The Swiss round off their campaign against Hungary (Saturday, seven October) and in a top of the group clash with the European Champions Portugal (Tuesday, 10 October) on three less points. The winners of the nine qualifying groups go through and the eight best runners-up play off for four places at the World Cup.
The situation In Group D is not looking good for Julian Baumgartlinger and Austria as they are five points adrift. The final two matches see Austria take on group leaders Serbia (Friday, 6 October) and bottom of the group Moldova (Monday, 9 October). Finland and Joel Pohjanpalo already have no chance of qualifying in Group I. The final opponents for Finland are Croatia (Friday, 6 October) and Turkey (Monday, 9 October). Greece are still in with a chance of finishing runners-up in Group H. The team coached by Michael Skibbe including Panos Retsos, who recently celebrated his debut, need two wins against Cyprus (Saturday, 7 October) and Gibraltar (Tuesday, 10 October).
Charles Aránguiz can only cross his fingers for Chile from afar following the calf injury he sustained against Schalke on Friday. 'La Rocha' are in danger of missing out in the South American World Cup qualifying group: The team are currently in sixth place and they need to overtake either Argentina or Peru. Only the first four teams qualify directly and the country in fifth place team plays off against the Oceania representatives. Chile are at home first against Ecuador (Friday, 6 October) and then are away to the group winners Brazil (Wednesday, 11 October).
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
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With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
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With 46 points in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga, the Bayer 04 Women’s team once again broke the previous season's club record and ended up in fifth place - 15 wins is also a record. As in previous years, you now have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is open exclusively to Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app by 11 June.
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The guests at the Scala Club in Leverkusen were amazed when host Reiner Calmund suddenly brought the Managing Director of Sport at Bayer 04, Simon Rolfes, and record Werkself appearance maker Rüdiger Vollborn onto the stage. As part of the show "An Evening with Football & Friends", organised by long-serving Bayer 04 managing director and general manager Calmund, the two surprise guests drew plenty of applause - and provided great entertainment in exciting conversations about the past and future.
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