Sporting managing director Simon Rolfes stressed after the cup defeat in Bielefeld: "We'll now work even harder so we're ready if we get the chance to win the Bundesliga." And captain Lukas Hradecky stressed after the semi-final: "Anger and disappointment are emotions that can and must be turned into good energy." With that energy, the team now head into the Bundesliga run-in, where they currently trail league leaders Bayern Munich by six points with 21 points still up for grabs.
The Werkself play the first of their seven remaining league games this Saturday, 5 April (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), at 1. FC Heidenheim 1846. Every league game in April at a glance:
Monday 14 April also marks the first anniversary of the day on which the Werkself clinched the first German championship in Bayer 04's history in impressive fashion last year. On that date, the Black and Red championship celebrations began with a 5-0 home win against SV Werder Bremen - "German champions SVB!"
Bayer 04 Women have two of their four remaining Bundesliga matchdays in April. With a haul of 36 points, it's already clear that coach Roberto Pätzold's side are enjoying their best Bundesliga season in the club's history. If they're going to be able to attack the top three in the run-in, the Werkself must pick up more wins.
First, Leverkusen Women face 1. FC Köln in a derby at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Monday, 14 April (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) to wrap up Matchday 19 (get your tickets!). Just under two weeks later, the team then travel to bottom-of-the-table 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam. On Friday 25 April (kick-off: 18.30 CEST) at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion, they'll be looking to pick up another three important points.
Thanks to a convincing last-minute win in the top match against VfL Bochum 1848, the U19s are guaranteed a place in the knockout phase of the battle for the German championship. The top four teams in each group advance to the round of 16. Leverkusen can only lose out on a place in the top two of main round Group C in the DFB Youth League if they lose two of their own matches and Eintracht Frankfurt, who are currently in second place, win twice.
Should Bayer 04 finish first or second, the round of 16 (without a second leg) would take place on the weekend of 26/27 April in Leverkusen. Possible opponents from group D are Leipzig, Karlsruhe, Dortmund, Mainz and Unterhaching. In this case, the final in mid-May would also be played in Leverkusen, provided the Black & Reds are represented in it.
After narrowly losing the final of the German Club Championship, the Bayer 04 eSports players will compete in the German Individual Championship in April. The first step on the way to the title for the #B04eSportsmen including Sean and Marc Landwehr and Markus Hüttemann is a successful performance at the VBL Grand Open by WOW on 5 and 6 April.
Were they to succeed, the Leverkusen team would move on to the Group Stage of the VBL Grand Final by WOW from 15 to 17 April. The finals of the championship would then be on 26 and 27 April.
With two matchdays to go, the Bayer Giants basketball team are already in first place in the ProB Nord (3rd division), so the Bayer basketball players will take part in the play-offs for the championship. These start with the round of 16, in which game 1 will be played on Saturday, 19 April, in the Ostermann Arena in Leverkusen. The round of 16 will be played in a best-of-three format.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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