For the first time since the introduction of the Champions League in 1992 next season will see five German teams in Europe's premier club competition. In addition to the Werkself, champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig plus Eintracht Frankfurt as Europa League winners have qualified for the top European tournament.
26 of the 32 teams have already qualified. The remaining six will be decided from the end of June to August in the qualifying matches. The draw for the group stage will follow on 25 August.
The Werkself join Borussia Dortmund in pot 3 based on the UEFA coefficients and are therefore unable to play RB Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Napoli and Sporting Lisbon as they are in the same pot. In contrast, possible opponents include Real Madrid, Manchester City, AC Milan, Paris St Germain, Porto (all in pot 1), Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Tottenham Hotspur (all in pot 2) plus Liverpool and Ajax (both pot 1 or pot 2).
In the group stage, three German clubs will play on Tuesdays and two on Wednesdays. The first matchday is on 6/7 September. The top match on a Tuesday next season will be shown on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform. All other matches are available via the streaming provider DAZN. Highlights on terrestrial TV will be shown as usual on ZDF – on Wednesdays from 23.15 CEST.
Which Bayer 04 player particularly stands out this season? Can last year's winner Florian Wirtz retain his title? The top eleven scorers and providers in the Bundesliga include three Werkself players: Leverkusen's top goalscorer Patrik Schick (24 goals, 4 assists), winger Moussa Diaby(13 goals, 12 assists) and youngster Florian Wirtz (7 goals, 11 assists). Robert Andrich or Jeremie Frimpong could also be in the running.
Black and Red fans still have a chance to choose who most deserves the title of Player of the Season 2021/22. The vote is open until Sunday 5 June.
Bayer 04 Club members have the chance to win some great prizes:
Main prize:
Other prizes:
Click HERE to vote and for further information
The flags at the Bayer Leverkusen flying club are at half mast. An LEC sports aircraft crashed in Croatia on Sunday 29 May. The pilot was a member of the Leverkusen club and he was killed in the accident as were three passengers. Bayer 04 mourns the victims and our thoughts are with their families and friends.
Former Werkself player Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez is 34 today. Bayer 04 congratulate him and happily remember his time under the Bayer Cross. The Mexican record goalscorer played for Bayer 04 from 2015 to 2017 and he conquered the hearts of the Black and Red fans up front. Chicharito scored 28 times in 54 games. After his time at Leverkusen, Chicha joined West Ham United in the Premier League. The crowd favourite has played for Los Angeles Galaxy since 2020. There he scored 26 goals in 49 games.
You can again watch one of his many impressive feats HERE. Happy Birthday.
The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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The champions of Slovenia NK Celje are in a European competition for the fourth time in their history. This Wednesday, 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the side lead by head coach Vitor Campelos visit the BayArena for matchday 1 in the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. Celje’s last match at the weekend did not go to plan. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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