
Werner Wenning, chair of the shareholders committee at Bayer 04, believes the club is in a good position: "I'm very happy that Fernando Carro will continue his successful work for Bayer 04 Leverkusen over the long term. He has been outstanding in representing the club at home and abroad. His voice has increasing weight and that also does Bayer 04 good."
The Werkself have qualified for European competitions in all of the four years since Carro took up his post. The team under head coach Gerardo Seoane have achieved the best finish in six years with third place in the Bundesliga ensuring direct qualification for the Champions League.
At the Werkself, Carro has primarily promoted the development and professionalism of the football company with a staff of now around 300. In addition, he has worked with the retiring sporting managing director Rudi Völler and his successor Simon Rolfes in the transition of responsibilities on the footballing side.
The 57-year-old has represented Bayer 04 as a board member on the European Club Association (ECA) since 2021. Carro is also involved with various UEFA working parties – including the committee that prepared the decisions around Champions League reform 2024.
Fernando Carro: "The emotional and dynamic environment of football means a lot to me just as much as the professional parameters offered at Bayer 04. We have already been able to achieve much together. Now it is all about making the maximum of the solid foundations and us being able to continue to improve. We are pursuing ambitious targets in all areas of our organisation. We want a modern and innovative club that is, above all, successful on the pitch."

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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
Show more
The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
Show more