+++ 24 September: Cameroon, with Kofane in the line-up, win their opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifier +++
Cameroon’s national team lived up to their role as favourites in their home match against the Comoros, securing their first three points in their bid to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations with a 3–1 victory. Werkself striker Christian Kofane started the match but remained in the dressing room at half-time – a precautionary measure, as national team coach David Pagou explained afterwards. Their next opponents in the coming days are Congo (AFCON qualifier) and Côte d’Ivoire (friendly).
+++ 24 September: A hard-fought point against Germany +++
A classic football fixture took place at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on Thursday night: The Netherlands and Germany faced on Matchday 1 in the new UEFA Nations League (League A) campaign. It also marked the first outing of the two new national team managers: Xavi took charge of the Oranje, while Jürgen Klopp led the Germany team as head coach.
The hosts, with Bayer 04 goalkeeper Mark Flekken on the bench, made the better start with a goal in the twelfth minute – though it was disallowed following a VAR review due to a foul. Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha put Germany ahead on the half-hour mark – this time within the rules. The final word went to the Oranje when Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo scored in second-half stoppage time to make it 1–1. The other opponents in the current international break are Serbia (twice) and Greece.
Overview of international fixtures:
Jarell Quansah (England)
Saturday 26/09, 20:45 CEST: England vs Spain (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 1)
Tuesday 29/09, 20:45 CEST: Czechia vs England (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 2)
Saturday 03/10, 18:00 CEST: Croatia vs England (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 3)
Tuesday 06/10, 20:45 CEST: England vs Czechia (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 4)
Mark Flekken (Netherlands)
Thursday 24/09: Netherlands 1–1 Germany (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 1)
Sunday 27/09, 18:00 CEST: Serbia vs Netherlands (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 2)
Thursday 01/10, 20:45 CEST: Greece vs Netherlands (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 3)
Sunday, 04/10, 20:45 CEST: Netherlands vs Serbia (UEFA Nations League, Matchday 4)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso)
Friday 25/09, 21:00 CEST: Burkina Faso vs Benin (AFCON qualifier, Matchday 1)
Monday 28/09, 18:00 CEST: Central African Republic v Burkina Faso (AFCON qualifier, Matchday 2)
Saturday 03/10: Argentina vs Burkina Faso (friendly)
Ibrahim Maza (Algeria)
Friday 25/09, 21:00 CEST: Algeria vs Zambia (AFCON qualifier, Matchday 1)
Tuesday 29/09, 15:00 CEST: Burundi vs Algeria (AFCON qualifier, Matchday 2)
Tuesday 06/10, 21:30 CEST: Algeria vs Niger (friendly)
Christian Kofane (Cameroon)
Thursday 24/09: Cameroon 3–1 Comoros (AFCON qualifier, Matchday 1)
Tuesday 29/09, 21:00 CEST: Congo vs Cameroon (AFCON qualifier, Matchday 2)
Saturday 03/10, 21:00 CEST: Ivory Coast vs Cameroon (friendly)
Facundo Medina and Ezequiel Fernández (Argentina)
Wednesday 30/09: Argentina vs Bolivia (friendly)
Saturday 03/10: Argentina vs Burkina Faso (friendly)
Tuesday 06/10: Argentina vs Benin (friendly)
Malik Tillman (USA)
Saturday 26/09, 22:30 CEST: USA vs Peru (friendly)
Wed 30/09, 02:00 CEST: USA vs Chile (friendly)
Sunday 04/10, 04.00 CEST: USA vs Mexico (friendly)
Wednesday 07/10, 02:00 CEST: USA vs Canada (friendly)
Afonso Moreira (Portugal U21)
Friday 25/09, 17:00 CEST: Bulgaria U21 vs Portugal U21 (European Championship qualifier, Match 8)
Wednesday 30/09, 17:00 CEST: Portugal U21 vs Gibraltar U21 (European Championship qualifiers, Match 9)
Tuesday 06/10, 17:00 CEST: Portugal U21 vs Czechia U21 (European Championship qualifier, Match 10)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen welcomes a new official member to the Sponsors’ Club at the start of the 2026/27 campaign. KKV Kabelverlegung GmbH & Co. KG is expanding its existing partnership and will, with immediate effect, act as a supporter of the Bundesliga club at the second-highest partner level, just below the premium tier. As an official partner in the Sponsors’ Club, KKV will now enjoy significantly enhanced visibility during Werkself matches at the BayArena. The new contract is initially valid until 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has extended the existing partnership agreement with EDO Personalservice GmbH and, at the same time, expanded its collaboration with the Cologne-based company. The official partner in the Business Club has been upgraded within Bayer 04’s partner network. The revised and enhanced support for the club has initially been agreed for two years, running until 30 June 2028.
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Video games developer Electronic Arts (EA), in collaboration with the Bundesliga, has announced the six nominees for the Bundesliga ‘Player of the Month’ award for September – Bayer 04’s Miguel Gutiérrez has made it into this select group after just four Bundesliga matches. Fans of the Black and Reds can vote from now until Sunday 27 September (23:59 CEST).
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There is plenty going on at the Leverkusen stadium – even when the Werkself have a day off. At the ‘Expert Days Analytics’ event, organised by Team Analysis, assistant coach Marcel Daum and Simon Lackmann, an analyst in the professional players’ department, spoke with other analysts and coaches from the professional and youth teams about formations, tactics and the use of data in match analysis. Just one room away, Western German football coaches and referees from the professional leagues in Germany gathered for the “Regional Hub for Head Coaches and Referees”, organised by the Bundesliga.
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