
The squad under head coach Gerardo Seoane will prepare for next season in Zell am See-Kaprun from 14 to 22 July. As in previous years, Lukas Hradecky and Co. will stay at the Hotel TauernSPA in Kaprun and train at the Alois-Latini-Stadium in Zell am See. Two friendlies are planned during the stay in Austria.
“Ten years of training camps in the one and the same region – that is exceptional by Bundesliga standards. And, in my eyes, an indication of the good partnership between SalzburgerLand and Bayer 04,” said Werkself CEO Fernando Carro. “The hotel is great, the training ground is good, the hospitality is cordial and the organisers come up with new ideas every year. The team, coaching staff, club management and our fans always feel at home. Not to forget: We have always qualified for European competitions with one exception since 2013.
The fact the tenth Werkself training camp in Salzburger Land is not in 2022 is down to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated changes to the match calendar in the summer of 2020. Back then, the Bundesliga season ended in June, the DFB Cup final was at the start of July and the finals of the UEFA Europa League were in August. That left no time for a pre-season away from Leverkusen.
“The Werkself have deep roots in Leverkusen but they have found a home away from home in SalzburgerLand. Our partnership of the past ten years has developed into a true friendship,” said Leo Bauernberger, CEO of SalzburgerLand Tourismus Gesellschaft (SLTG). “We’re really looking forward to welcoming Bayer 04 Leverkusen back to the training camp in July and we will provide the opportunity for top preparation for next season’s European highlights. I would like to take this opportunity to invite all Werkself fans to Zell am See-Kaprun. Is there anything better than combining the passion for the Werkself with a summer holiday in the Salzburg mountains?”
Renate Ecker, tourism director for Zell am See-Kaprun: “Germany is one of our biggest and most important markets both in the summer and the winter. The Bayer 04 Leverkusen training camp very much underlines our activities, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia. Zell am See-Kaprun is well established as a sports destination and we are in the best position to convey that. The large number of sporting opportunities coupled with the natural world of glaciers, mountains and lakes provides optimum conditions for the Werkself to make the most of training and the necessary rest and recovery.”

It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 derby win at 1. FC Köln Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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There were celebrations among those in black and red at the RheinEnergieSTADION. On Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, the Werkself beat 1. FC Köln 2-0 and registered their sixth successive win in the derby. Aleix Garcia put Bayer 04 in front after just seven minutes with a direct free kick. Leverkusen played with discipline and energy after that and didn't allow some fierce challenges to unsettle them. Patrik Schick made it 2-0 in the 86th minute, and Said El Mala's goal in stoppage time for Köln proved nothing more than consolation. Jonas Hofmann crowned the derby win with his 100th appearance for the club.
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