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 Leverkusen have secured a new premium partner in the form of DRIVIO. DRIVIO, already part of the club’s partner portfolio as a reliable car subscription partner for Bayer 04, will continue to support the club in this capacity and, with immediate effect, also join the premium group of companies that cooperate closely with the Werkself. The premium and car subscription partnership between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and DRIVIO will initially run until 30 June 2027.
Show more
Following last weekend’s big game against Wolfsburg, Bayer 04 Women face another exciting challenge as they visit Hoffenheim to kick off Matchday 3 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga on Friday (kick-off: 18:30 CEST).
Show more
Under the slogan ‘Holidays without War’, 60 children from war-torn Ukraine took part in the summer camp organised by the German-Ukrainian association Blau-Gelbes Kreuz in Leverkusen and the surrounding area in August. The children aged between 10 and 14 – many of whom have lost their parents in the war – come from the Ukrainian twin towns of Leverkusen, Cologne and Monheim am Rhein: Nikopol, Dnipro and Volodymyr. Bayer 04, Bayer AG and TSV Bayer 04 supported the camp to mark its 10th anniversary, enabling even more children and young people than in previous years to spend a few carefree days’ holiday away from the war in the Rhineland.
Show more
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
Show more
New to Leverkusen and straight up onto the roof at the BayArena: Guéla Doué has arrived. In an interview with Werkself TV, the new right-back talks about his previous links with Bayer 04 and how much he’s looking forward to his first home match. Have a look!
Show more
