
Florian Wirtz played for Germany in Bremen. The team under national coach Hansi Flick faced Ukraine at the Weserstadion on Monday 12 June. The charity match ended all square at 3-3 and was the 1,000th international for Germany. After an early opener from Niklas Füllkrug on six minutes, the visitors from Ukraine turned the game round and went 3-1 up. Former Leverkusen player Kai Havertz put Hansi Flick's team back in the game. A foul on Havertz in the penalty area saw Kimmich convert a spot-kick for the final score of 3-3. Florian Wirtz came on to replace Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund) on 70 minutes and made a positive contribution to the match. The next friendly for Germany is against Poland on Friday night 16 June. The kick-off in Warsaw is at 20.45 CEST.
And Leverkusen striker Sardar Azmoun is also away on international duty and he scored one goal and provided two assists. Playing for Iran, the Bayer 04 player was in action against Afghanistan yesterday Tuesday 13 June. The game in the CAFA Nations Cup ended in a 6-1 victory for Iran. The Bayer 04 forward opened the scoring on 20 minutes and he also provided two assists. Azmoun was substituted on 55 minutes. The next match for Iran is on Friday night against Kyrgyzstan again in the CAFA Nations Cup. The kick-off is at 17.00 CEST.
Forthcoming international fixtures:
Florian Wirtz (Germany)
16 June: Poland vs Germany (Friendly)
20 June: Germany vs Colombia (Friendly)
Lukas Hradecky (Finland)
18 June: Finland vs Slovenia (EURO qualifier)
19 June: Finland vs San Marino (EURO qualifier)
Patrick Pentz (Austria)
17 June: Belgium vs Austria (EURO qualifier)
20 June: Austria vs Sweden (EURO qualifier)
Adam Hlozek (Czechia)
17 June: Faroe Islands vs Czechia (EURO qualifier)
20 June: Montenegro vs Czechia (Friendly)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso)
18 June: Cape Verde vs Burkina Faso (AFCON qualifier)
Sardar Azmoun (Iran)
16 June: Kyrgyzstan vs Iran (CAFA Nations Cup)
Piero Hincapie (Ecuador)
18 June: Ecuador vs Bolivia (Friendly)
21 June: Ecuador vs Costa Rica (Friendly)
Exequiel Palacios (Argentina)
15 June: Argentina vs Australia (Friendly)
19 June: Indonesia vs Argentina (Friendly)
Amine Adli (France U21)
22 June: France U21 vs Italy U21 (Group match, U21 EUROS)
25 June: Norway U21 vs France U21 (Group match, U21 EUROS)
28 June: France U21 vs Switzerland U21 (Group match, U21 EUROS)

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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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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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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