After over 24 hours of uncertainty for Charles Aránguiz and Co. the South American Football Association CONMEBOL has provided clarity: The Copa América, with the Werkself players Charles Aránguiz (Chile) plus Lucas Alario and Exequiel Palacios (Argentina) on the road with their national teams, will now take place – in Brazil. Due to the worsening of the pandemic in the original host countries of Argentina and Colombia, the two countries were no longer considered as venues for the continental tournament so that CONMEBOL were forced to take immediate action. The Copa América will be played from 13 June to 10 July.
The former Werkself player Arturo Vidal was also due to play in World Cup qualifiers and take part in the Copa América with Chile. Due to a Covid-19 infection, the 34-year-old has now been admitted to a clinic in the Chilean capital of Santiago de Chile with a fever and swollen glands. All the players in the Chile squad, including Charles Aránguiz, received the coronavirus vaccination last Friday. Vidal, currently at Inter Milan, will at least miss the World Cup qualifiers for his home country against Argentina and Bolivia. Bayer 04 wish you a speedy recovery, Arturo.
From the South American to the European continent: The two Werkself players Florian Wirtz and Lennart Grill are in the semi-finals of the U21 European Championship with the Germany U21s. The team under head coach Stefan Kuntz progressed in a dramatic quarter-final against Denmark with an 8-7 victory on penalties. The opponents in the semi-final on Thursday, 3 June (kick-off: 21.00 CEST) are the Netherlands who went through in the quarter-finals against the France U21 team including Moussa Diaby.
Planning for the fixture lists for the Bundesliga and second division is at a key stage. As announced by the German Football League (DFL) today (Tuesday), the fixtures for the 34 matchdays in Germany's top two divisions will be announced on the DFL website on Friday 25 June.
Bayer 04 are gaining another cup winner for the new season: VfL Wolfsburg keeper, Friederike Abt, who will play for the Werkself next season, won the Women's DFB Cup with the Wolves last Sunday. Abt replaced the Wolfsburg keeper Almuth Schult in extra time after she was sent off. The Werkself keeper to be kept a clean sheet in the Wolfsburg goal for the rest of the match and was able to celebrate a 1-0 victory in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Javier Hernández, better known as Chicharito, which translates as 'Little Pea', celebrates his 33rd birthday today (Tuesday). The lively Mexican, who played for the Werkself between 2015 and 2017, made 76 appearances for Leverkusen, scored 39 goals and provided nine assists and he quickly became a real favourite of Black and Red supporters. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Chicharito!
The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
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The next opponents in the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been announced: Bayer 04 will host Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. That was the outcome of the draw held this Sunday evening, 7 December, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where long-time Bundesliga player and coach Friedhelm Funkel made the draw. The Werkself will play their quarter-final tie on 3-4 or 10-11 February 2026. The exact dates have yet to be finalised.
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After falling behind early on, Bayer 04 took control of the game against a combative and disciplined FC Augsburg on Saturday afternoon. However, they lacked the necessary precision in finishing and hit the post and crossbar three times. After the game, coach Kasper Hjulmand said he wanted to get back to the "right philosophy" of previous matches with three games left in 2025. The Werkself review.
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