The summer break for the Bayer 04 players lasts another three weeks and then Gerardo Seoane will hold the first training session at Bismarckstraße. Performance diagnostic checks will be carried out on 5 July with the first full training session led by the Swiss coach following the next day. The first pre-season friendly against third division SV Wehen Wiesbaden is on 14 July. Kick-off is at 17.00 CEST; the match will be played at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium (UHS) or at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre.
And now Bayer 04 can also announce two other friendly opponents. As part of the training camp in Zell am See/Kaprun (16 to 23 July), the Seoane team will play Dynamo Moscow on 18 July. The kick-off at the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See is at 15.00 CEST. While the Werkself have played competitive matches against the other three top clubs from Moscow (Lokomotiv, Spartak and CSKA), there are no records of a competitive game against Dynamo in the black and red statistics.
In contrast, there is a reunion with FC Utrecht on 28 July. In January 2020, the Black and Reds played the team that finished sixth in the Dutch Eredivisie last term during the winter break – that friendly ended in a 4-3 victory for the visitors from the Netherlands. The fixture at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at the BayArena kicks off at 16.00 CEST.
Dynamo Moscow profile:
The team from the Russian capital almost qualified for Europe last season. The former club of the Germany international Kevin Kuranyi 'only' finished seventh in the Premier Liga but the team under coach Sandra Schwarz (formerly of Mainz 05) were only six points away from third place and qualification for the Europa League. In addition to the head coach, the Dynamo squad also has other familiar faces from Germany's top flight: Roman Neustädter (Schalke 04) plus Maximilian Philipp, who spent most of the last campaign on loan at VfL Wolfsburg.
A look at the statistics shows that two new signings in particular made an impression at Dynamo. The Russians Daniil Fomin and Daniil Lesovoy, signed by the capital club from league rivals FK Ufa and Arsenal Tula, have shone with involvement in number of goals for the Moscow attack. While Fomin clocked up six goals and three assists, Lesovoy contributed five goals and five assists in his first season for Dynamo.
FC Utrecht profile:
Since the founding of the club in 1970 following the merger of three sides, FC Utrecht have continually been part of the top-flight in the Netherlands. Since a mixed season in 2014/15, which ended with eleventh place in the Eredivisie, the team from the city with a population of 360,000 in the heart of the Netherlands has always finished in the top third of the table since then. Last term, the team under head coach René Hake finished in sixth place. An enormous share in that achievement was down to the attack with Sander van de Streek, Gyrano Kerk and Mimoun Mahi. The attacking trio notched up 26 goals – half of the Utrecht total of 52 in the Eredivisie season – plus 13 assists.
In addition to the stalwarts van de Streek and Kerk, head coach Hake relies on a mixed squad from a demographic perspective. From players returning to the Netherlands such as Eljero Elia (34), who played up front for Hamburg and Bremen during his career, through to the 21-year-old Moussa Sylla – who arrived from AS Monaco last season – all age groups are represented in the FCU squad.
25 June
Publication of Bundesliga fixture list
4 July
Draw for the first round proper of the DFB Cup
5 July
Pre-season starts with performance diagnostics at the BayArena
6 July
First full training session at the pitches at the BayArena
14 July
Bayer 04 v SV Wehen Wiesbaden, Kurtekotten or UHS (Kick-off: 17.00 CEST)
16-23 July
Training camp in Zell am See/Kaprun including two friendlies
18 July
Bayer 04 v Dynamo Moscow, Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See (Kick-off: 15.00 CEST)
28 July
Bayer 04 v FC Utrecht, UHS (Kick-off: 16.00 CEST)
31 July
Friendly – Opponent and venue: tbc
6-9 August
First round proper of the DFB Cup
13-15 August
Bundesliga matchday 1
27 August
Draw for the Europa League group stage
16 September
Matchday 1 in the Europa League
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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