The first round of the DFB Cup will be drawn on Sunday 26 July from 18.30 CET. As announced by ARD on Tuesday, the channel will broadcast the draw live on the ‘Sportschau’. There will be a number of unknown quantities in the draw as the cup competitions of the state associations were not completed due to the break enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.
The finals of the state cups will be played on 22 August at an amateurs finals day (from 14.30 CET/live on ARD). The first round ties in the DFB Cup will be played between 11 and 14 September, a week before the start of the Bundesliga.
The first leg of the Round of 16 tie for Bayer 04 at Glasgow Rangers (3-1) was – in contrast to the Werkself – the last competitive match for the Scottish side up to now. The Scottish Premier League was abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic and Rangers finished in second place. Steven Gerrard recalled his players in the middle of July. Rangers are not just preparing for the Europa League second leg match at the BayArena on 6 August (kick-off: 18.55 CET) but also for the new league season that starts a few days earlier.
Rangers have already played two friendlies ahead of the opening fixture away to Aberdeen on 1 August. The Scots played in Lyon against Olympique and Nice. Gerrard’s team won both games 2-0. Ianis Hagi netted a brace against Lyon; the goals against Nice were scored by Jermain Defoe and Jamie Barjonas. Both games were played in front of a limited number of supporters who maintained social distancing guidelines in the stands. Rangers have another two friendlies planned in the next few days.
If the Werkself are in the quarter-finals after the Round of 16 second leg against Rangers then they would face the winners of match between Inter Milan and Getafe, in Düsseldorf on 10 August (kick-off: 21.00 CET). While the Italians are still involved in Serie A until the August, Getafe completed their league fixtures on Sunday 19 July.
On the final matchday, the team coached by Pepe Bordalás could have secured a place in the Europa League with a win at UD Levante – the team from Valencia were not playing for European qualification or to maintain their top-flight status. While the rivals from San Sebastián (1-1 at Atlético Madrid) and Granada (4-0 against Bilbao) picked up points, Getafe lost 1-0 to Levante and were out of the running for a place in Europe.
While Getafe failed to qualify for Europe via the league, their opponents from northern Italy have already qualified for the Champions League next season. With four games to play in Serie A, the team under coach Antonio Conte are in second place with a 14-point lead over fifth-placed AS Roma. Mathematically, Inter are still in with a chance of lifting the league title. However, that appears unlikely given the eight-point deficit to Juventus.
Two former Werkself players celebrated their birthdays on Wednesday: Central defender Ömer Toprak, who now plays for Werder Bremen, will be 31. Born in Ravensburg, he played for Bayer 04 from 2011 to 2017 making a total of 154 Bundesliga games for the Black and Reds. Andrej Voronin was at Bayer 04 for three years (2004 to 2007). The former player scored 32 goals for the Werkself in 92 Bundesliga games. The Ukrainian is 41 on Wednesday.
The current Bayer 04 defender Wendell celebrates his birthday a day earlier. The always cheerful Brazilian starts his seventh season with Bayer 04 in September and is 27 on Tuesday. Bayer 04 wish the trio: Many happy returns (belatedly)!
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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