Thanks to an exemption by the City of Hamburg and the neighbouring local authorities, the four semi-finalists in the Hamburg Association Cup were determined at the weekend. The two North Regional League sides, Eintracht Norderstedt and Jonathan Tah's former club Altona 93 now face each other on Sunday, 16 August. The meeting of the two Oberliga teams SV Rugenbergen and TSV Sasel is an hour later. A limited number of spectators are permitted at both matches.
The winner of the Hamburg Cup final, to be played on 22 August (kick-off: 14.45 CEST) as part of the Amateurs finals day, will be up against Lars Bender and Co. in the first round of the DFB Cup (11 to 14 September).
On 1 August, Bayer 04 released a 50-minute film to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Kai Havertz being at the club. This in-house production includes Germany teammate Tony Kroos, friend and former teammate Julian Brandt, Leverkusen's sporting director Simon Rolfes, head coach Peter Bosz and the two Bayer 04 managing directors Fernando Carro and Rudi Völler looking back at special moments with and by the prodigy. 'Kai – the Havertz Story | 10 years at Bayer 04 Leverkusen’ appears to have gone down well with fans and friends of the beautiful game. The film has had 500,000 hits on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel in less than two weeks.
There are not just impressive numbers on the video platform YouTube. Bayer 04 currently has 996,000 followers on Instagram – the magical million mark should soon be reached. The club from Leverkusen will be the third German team to achieve that number following on from Bayer Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Until 1970, the German Football Association (DFB) banned women and girls from playing football in Germany. That is now 50 years ago; a lot has changed since then. On Sunday, 16 August (18.30 CEST), the ARD Sportschau is broadcasting a report on that anniversary with the title, ‘Der größte Gegner ist das Klischee – 50 Jahre Frauenfußball’ ('The cliché is the biggest opponent – 50 years of women's football'). Interviewees include Bayer 04 player Jessica Wich (“Women now just want to do that they want and what makes them happy.”) and former Leverkusen player Merle Barth, who signed for Turbine Potsdam in the summer.
Bayer 04 remained unbeaten in the first 14 league games under Klaus Toppmöller, who took over the managerial hot seat at the Werkself in the summer of 2001. The Werkself were even top of the league at the halfway stage but the 2001/02 season ended with three runner’s up spots in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Cup. Toppmöller coached the Black and Reds for 18 months. The Coach of the Year 2002, who last managed in 2008, celebrates his 69th birthday. Bayer 04 wish Klaus many happy returns!
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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