There was a big and positive surprise with the call-up to the Germany squad for Werkself midfielder Robert Andrich. The 29-year-old, called up for the first time, was delighted: “Of course, I’m incredibly pleased. I have to say it was a very big surprise but I’m looking forward to it and I definitely won’t forget today.”
Call-ups to date:
Robert Andrich, Jonas Hofmann, Jonathan Tah und Florian Wirtz (Germany)
Exequiel Palacios (Argentina)
Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)
Lukas Hradecky (Finland)
Josip Stanisic (Croatia)
Adam Hlozek (Czechia)
Amine Adli (Morocco)
Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso)
Piero Hincapie (Ecuador)
Victor Boniface (Nigeria)
Noah Mbamba (Belgium U19)
Madi Monamay (Belgium U18)
Call-ups to the Spain and Netherlands squads are yet to be announced.
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
Show more
Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
Show more
Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
Show more
The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
Show more
The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
Show more
