"The 2020/21 season was affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the associated crowded fixture list," said Felix Duden, CEO of TecArena-Plus GmbH. The final league match at the BayArena was played on 27 June 2020, then came the second leg of the Round of 16 tie against Glasgow (Rangers) in Leverkusen on 6 August, and matches continued on 13 September with the DFB Cup game against Norderstedt at Bismarckstraße. "In order to be able to deal with increasing demands on the future, and particularly to ensure the level of quality in the winter months, the introduction of hybrid grass is the right move technically," added Duden.
This innovative playing surface at the BayArena is a combination of natural grass that is supported by synthetic components in the form of artificial fibres. "This ensures the grass is significantly more resilient while at the same time maintaining the positive characteristics of a traditional natural grass pitch," explained the CEO of TecArena-Plus.
Particular attention has been paid to the issue of sustainability in the implementation of this project. "To minimise the use of resources, a damp course has been installed below the undersoil heating. Temperature control will now be regulated according to the weather. And the sprinkler system will be upgraded so that targeted sprinkling will be possible in the future as required," Duden reported.
Construction work is set to be finished in August. That is to ensure the Werkself can play their first home game on the new BayArena pitch. The DFL have organised the start of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season for the weekend of 13 to 15 August.
Bayer 04 host Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The tie will be played on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, at the BayArena with the kick-off at 20:45 CEST. Information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 have the chance to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third time ever and the first in 14 years at Arsenal on Tuesday night (kick-off 21:00 CEST/20:00 local time). To do that, the Werkself not only require a strong performance like in the first leg, but also full concentration until the very last minute, as the Premier League leaders like to score late - as they did at the BayArena last week. Here's the Matchday News.
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A special award for special social commitment. At this year's ceremony for the Sepp Herberger Awards in Wolfsburg on Monday night, the DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation recognised Bayer 04 in the social rehabilitation category. The Bundesliga club received the prize, together with €12,000, for its great service to inmates, particularly in the Wuppertal-Ronsdorf prison.
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Can Bayer 04 pull off a coup in London? Just over a week after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, the Werkself are now looking to put in a convincing performance away at Arsenal – and get a result to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the match on Tuesday, (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand shared his thoughts on the team’s hunger for success. Exequiel Palacios, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of the fixture and the team’s development over the past few months.
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In their last two matches, they’ve done exactly what 'Laterkusen' did in the 2023/24 double-winning season: late on, but not too late, the Gunners scored crucial goals – first in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at Bayer 04, then last weekend in the Premier League against Everton. This Tuesday, 17 March (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Arsenal host the Werkself in London. The latest on our opponents.
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