
Carnival Sunday is also time for 'Carnival at Bayer!' – and to make the BayArena as colourful as possible, all visitors to the stadium for the Werkself game against FC Augsburg (kick-off: 15.30 CET) are cordially invited to come to the game in costume. As a special carnival offer, all the kiosks will sell doughnuts for one euro each. A little tip: Be careful when you bite into your doughnut as three of them are filled with mustard. Anybody who has this tasty experience can look forward to receiving a Werkself shirt with name and number as required. Enjoy your food and good luck!
There will be major travel disruption getting to the game against FC Augsburg on Sunday: The traditional carnival procession is being held in Wiesdorf. It starts at 13.33 CET in the area of the Europaring/Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, then proceeds through Wiesdorf via the main street and ends by the Rathaus Galerie (Wöhlerstraße).
The A1 autobahn is again closed this weekend from the Cologne North interchange in the direction of Dortmund to the Leverkusen Rhine bridge due to the demolition of a bridge. The A1 can be used from the Leverkusen West interchange. In the direction of Koblenz, the A1 can be used as far as the Cologne-Niehl junction. At the Leverkusen interchange, the link from the A3 from Oberhausen to the A1 in the direction of Koblenz is closed. The same applies to the link from the from the A3 from Frankfurt to the A1 in the direction of Koblenz.
We recommend all visitors to the stadium arrive in good time.
Once again this year, the Schwadbus will again be on the road in carnival processions. Today, the Lowenclub in Hitdorf are on board, the Bayer 04 Club and the Silver Lions are in the parade on Saturday (from 13.33 CET) in Schlebusch. Teens04 will be throwing sweets on Sunday in Wiesdorf (from 13.33 CET) and Bayer 04 members of staff will represent the Black and Reds in the Opladen procession on Rose Monday (from 14.11 CET).
Another costume? We've got something for these crazy days! A cowboy hat or braces with a Bayer 04 look go perfectly with the club shirt on match days. And the Bayer 04 Carnival scarf is also a must. Just pop into our shops...?
Please note the amended opening times for the fan shops and service centre:
City shop (Wiesdorf):
Friday: 10-20 CET (open as normal)
Saturday: 10-18 CET (open as normal)
Sunday: closed
Rose Monday: closed
Bayarena shop:
Friday: 10-17 CET (open as normal)
Saturday: closed
Sunday: from stadium opening to 45 minutes after the final whistle
Rose Monday: closed
Bergisch Gladbach shop:
Friday: 10-18.30 CET (open as normal)
Saturday: 10-16.30 CET (open as normal)
Sunday: closed
Rose Monday: closed
Service centre:
Friday: 8-20 CET (open as normal)
Saturday: 8-14 CET (open as normal)
Sunday: 8-15 CET
Rose Monday: closed


Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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