There is good news from the Copa América: Argentina with Werkself player Exequiel Palacios were able to celebrate progress to the quarter-finals of the South American competition early this morning. A goal from Papu Gómez, a brace from Lionel Messi and a fourth strike from Lautaro Martínez secured a comfortable 4-1 win for the ‘Albiceleste’ against Bolivia and put them top of Group A at the end of the group stage with ten points from four games. Palacios, who was on the pitch for 70 minutes, and his teammates will face Ecuador in the quarter-finals of the Copa on Sunday, 4 July (kick-off: 03.00 CEST). Werkself skipper Charles Aránguiz and the Chile team, who were not in action on the final matchday in the group stage, have also qualified for the last eight with a match against title holders Brazil the day before (kick-off: 02.00 CEST). Good luck, lads!
The setting for the first competitive match for the new Bayer 04 head coach Gerardo Seoane is taking shape. On Sunday, 4 July, the draw for the first round of the DFB Cup will be held on the ARD Sportschau (18.30 CEST). Who the Werkself will meet in the first round of the domestic cup competition is in the hands of former Bundesliga player and ARD pundit Thomas Broich who will draw the balls out of the two pots in the Sportschau studio on Sunday. The first round of the DFB Cup will be played on the first weekend in August (6-9 August).
From the national to the international cup competition: When the Black and Reds start the Europa League campaign for 2021/22, Leverkusen and the other 31 teams will see a rule that has been in effect for 56 years disappear from the UEFA rule book.
As announced by UEFA, away goals will no longer count in matches in the UEFA club competitions of the Champions League, Europa League and the Europa Conference League in determining who progresses to the next round. If scores are level after the two legs then extra time and, if necessary, penalties will decide whether Bayer 04 progress the next round of the European competition – regardless of how many goals are scored away from home.
The fact changes have been made to the rules, which were applied for over half a century, was explained by the UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in a statement: "Although there was no unanimity of opinion, a lot of coaches, fans and others involved in football questioned its fairness (the away goals rule, ed) and advocated the abolition of rule."
Bayer 04 head coach Gerardo Seoane has received the thumbs up from a former colleague. Stéphane Chapuisat, a long-standing Bundesliga player and head scout at Seoane's former club Young Boys Bern, says the 42 year-old has outstanding qualities – particularly regarding the future attacking requirements of the Werkself: "He has a good, attacking playing philosophy and I think he has the players at Leverkusen to put into action," said Chapuisat about the Werkself head coach in an interview with dpa.
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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