In between the Bundesliga and Europa League – on Monday evening 19 October, Simon Rolfes will be fielding questions on ’100% Bundesliga’ broadcast on RTL Nitro. From 22.15 CEST, the presenters Laura Wontorra and Thomas Wagner plus pundit Steffen Freund will be talking to Rolfes about the start of the new season and the forthcoming Europa League game against Nice to be played at the BayArena on Thursday 22 October (kick-off: 18.55 CEST).
Only having signed for Bayer 04 from Portuguese club Vitória Guimarães in the winter, Edmond Tapsoba has quickly settled in alongside Sven Bender and is now a reliable player in central defence. In the 1-0 win at Mainz, the 21-year-old Burkina Faso international frustrated a number of attacks by Mainz 05. That was recognised by the tabloid newspaper Bild as he was named in their Team of the Day. That is the first nomination by the paper for the 1.94 m tall this season.
The final squad is known, the final team photo was taken on Sunday afternoon. At the end of the week, there was a PR and partners day on the agenda for the Werkself the day after the win at Mainz. Following the regeneration session – as usual there was also training for players who did not take part in the game – Charles Aránguiz and Co. took up their positions for the team photo.
That also included Patrik Schick, who signed for Bayer 04 from AS Roma at the start of September. Santiago Arias, on loan from Atlético Madrid, missed the photo call due to his operation in Madrid. The 28-year-old suffered a broken leg and ligament damage to his ankle playing for Colombia. Tin Jedvaj missed out due to illness.
The Slovakia Football Association have parted company with national coach Pavel Hapal four weeks before the crucial European Championship play-off match against Northern Ireland. The former player, at Leverkusen from 1992 to 1995 (86 Bundesliga appearances), had been the Slovakia coach since 2018.
A trio as potential hosts: The DFB is applying with Holland and Belgium to stage the women’s 2027 World Cup. The motto for the three neighbouring states: ‘Three nations. One target.’
“We know how high the hurdles are before you can achieve approval to stage a tournament like that. Our organisational experience, the strength of our new DFB and the prospect of international cooperation makes us look optimistically to the future,” said DFB president Fritz Keller. Germany staged the Women’s World Cup for the first time in 2011. Leverkusen was a venue back then. Three group matches and the quarter-final between England and France were played at the BayArena.
Alejo Sarco has left Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join Sporting Gijón in Spain’s second division. Bayer 04 have secured a buy-back clause for the 20-year-old Argentine striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed 16-year-old midfield prospect Gabriel Minutillo on a long-term contract. The Germany youth international will play for the U19s this season.
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Bayer 04 preparations for the 2026/27 season are in full swing, with the first friendly now under their belts. Although there are still around seven weeks to go until the first Bundesliga home game in early September, there is already huge anticipation for the start of competitive action for head coach Carles Martínez’s team at the BayArena. For the Bundesliga home matches of the new season, here is the latest information regarding the first phase of single-match ticket sales. The tried-and-tested early-bird phase remains in place. From 23 to 31 July, tickets for matches will go on sale on weekdays; the early-bird phase ends on 5 August at the latest – provided tickets are still available by then.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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Like last year, Bayer 04 Women held their summer training camp in Rieden. Coach Roberto Pätzold gives his assessment of the time in the Upper Palatinate, discusses the integration of the 11 new players and the unusual team building measures, gives his thoughts on the friendly and looks ahead to the start of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga season in August.
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