The BayArena was lit up in purple for several hours on Tuesday night. For the fifth year in succession, Bayer 04 sent out a colourful signal for World Prematurity Day to raise awareness of the subject of premature births and the associated consequences for children and parents. In Germany, around 60,000 children are born premature every year. The Leverkusen Clinic, with an association with Bayer 04 for many years, is considered to be one of the most experienced maternity clinics in the region with 1,600 births per year. Over 80 premature babies weighing less than 1,500 grammes – including 40 premature babies weighing less than a thousand grammes – were cared for at the Leverkusen Clinic last year. Due to the especially high quality of care, even the smallest premature babies with a birth weight of 500 grammes or less survive. "Strong start for little heroes" is this year's motto for the worldwide information campaign that saw the involvement of the team from the mother and child centre at the Leverkusen Clinic, which is supported by Bayer 04.
Rudi Völler will be the guest on the Sky 90 TV programme on Sunday 22 November. In his weekly talk show, Patrick Wasserzier discusses the Bundesliga matchday for 90 minutes – the Werkself game away to Arminia Bielefeld will also be a topic for discussion. It starts at 11.30 CET – live and available for free on Sky Sport News HD as well as on a live stream at skysport.de.
The last international break of this year is slowly but surely drawing to a close. Only two Werkself players are in action with their national teams on Wednesday night: In the Nations League, Julian Baumgartlinger is set to play for Austria against Norway. Due to suspension, Aleksandar Dragovic left the Austria team at the weekend and is now training with the Werkself again after a negative coronavirus test on Tuesday. Keeper Lukas Hradecky with Finland is in Wales also in the Nations League. Both matches kick-off at 20.45 CET and are live on DAZN. Lucas Alario has already been able to set off on his return journey. Argentina beat Peru 2-0 overnight in a World Cup qualifier but our number 13 did not play.
Autumn is time for pumpkins, thought Alexander Wagner, head chef with the Werkself, and he has prepared a tasty pasta dish with pumpkin sauce together with the Bayer 04 health partner, BERGISCHE KRANKENKASSE. A genuine athletes dish as Wagner revealed as when he's cooking for the Peter Bosz team, he particularly pays attention to sufficient carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins. In this video he shows the preparation step-by-step and the recipe is available to print in the comments section.
Black and Red congratulations on your 59th birthday, Alois Reinhardt. Never to be forgotten is his winning goal in the semi-final first leg of the 1988 UEFA Cup tie against Werder Bremen that also secured a place in the final after a goalless second leg. Reinhardt played for Bayer 04 from 1984 to 1991 and he also played for Germany while he was under the Bayer Cross.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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