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.”
In their third friendly of this pre-season, Bayer 04 played on home soil for the first time – and won there too! The Werkself claimed a comfortable 4-0 victory against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. Jeanuel Belocian (9’) and Nathan Tella (42’) gave a dominant Leverkusen a 2-0 lead at the break, which Afonso Moreira (51’) and Christian Kofane (53’) doubled after the break. Among the many second-half substitutions was Patrik Schick, who made his first friendly appearance of the summer.
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The Werkself are finally back. On Saturday 8 August, Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign with their opening match. But there’s far more than just a double-header in store for Werkself supporters. True to the motto ‘One day. Two teams. One club’, the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be transformed into a world of excitement.
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The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...
After the children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy grilled Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch last week, another group of 20 young Werkself fans gathered at the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday afternoon, 28 July . This time, the kids directed their questions at Tim Oermann and Jonah Berghoff. Defender Oermann raved about his school days, whilst talented midfielder Berghoff revealed to the young footballers, amongst other things, who his favourite player is – and he is also at Bayer 04. To round things off, the pair naturally obliged with all requests for autographs and selfies.
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Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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