After three 1-1 draws in succession against Italy, England and Hungary, Germany yesterday (14 May) secured the first win in the current UEFA Nations League campaign. Goals from Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gündogan, Thomas Müller and a Timo Werner brace paved the way to a 5-2 win against European champions Italy. Bayer 04 defender Jonathan Tah came on as a late sub to replace Niklas Süle in the centre of defence.
The team under coach Hansi Flick are currently second in Group 3 in League A with six points from four games. Hungary lead the table with one point more, Italy (five) and England (two) follow in third and fourth places. The final group matches in the Nations League for Germany are at the end of September with Hungary the visitors in Leipzig on 23 September and that is followed by an away game against England on 26 September.
The last World Cup opponents for Germany were decided yesterday when Costa Rica beat New Zealand 1-0 in the play-offs and they will now compete in Group D alongside Japan and Spain. That means there will be a rerun of the opening game of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, which the hosts were able to win 4-2.
Lukas Hradecky and Finland came within a whisker of picking up a point. The Scandinavians lost 3-2 away to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Finns came back from conceding an early goal with strikes from Teemu Pukki and Benjamin Källman putting them ahead before Bosnia's Edin Dzeko netted a brace to win the game. Bayer 04 captain Hradecky played the full 90 minutes.
Finland are third in Group 3 in League B in the Nations League on four points after four matches. Bosnia-Herzegovina lead the group with eight points. The next opponents Romania (23 September) are currently fourth on three points and Montenegro (26 September) are second with seven points.
France remained without a win in their fourth match in the Nations League on Monday 13 May. The 2018 World Cup winners suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against their final opponents back then Croatia. Real Madrid's Luka Modric scored the winner for Croatia from the penalty spot on five minutes. Werkself forward Moussa Diaby was an unused sub.
The Équipe Tricolore are bottom of Group 1 in League A with two points after two draws and two defeats. Denmark (9), Croatia (7) and Austria (4) are ahead of them. France are next in action against Austria on 22 September and that is followed by a game against Denmark on 25 September in League A of the Nations League.
France now also know their opponents in their opening game in the World Cup in Qatar. Australia beat Peru in the play-offs on Monday with a 5-4 win on penalties to secure one of the last tickets to the forthcoming World Cup. The other teams in Group D are Denmark and Tunisia.
From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
Show more
There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
Show more
The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
Show more
The draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 was made today, Friday 27 February: Bayer 04 face Premier League leaders Arsenal. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes sees the English team as a "top opponent" and is looking forward to meeting former Werkself players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie again.
Show more
After three consecutive victories, FSV Mainz 05 recently suffered setbacks against Borussia Dortmund (0-4) and Hamburger SV (1-1) in the battle to stay up. Nevertheless, the Mainz 05 performance curve has shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. Their coach and a former Leverkusen player in particular have played a decisive role in this. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
