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.
Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
Show more
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
Show more
After a week in the Algarve, the Bayer 04 Women returned home on Saturday afternoon. The Werkself had six training sessions, two friendlies and a lot of time together as a team. Roberto Pätzold's team will be back in action in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga next Friday for the start of matchday 15.
Show more
"We didn’t make the right decision at the right moments," said captain Robert Andrich after the 1-0 defeat away to TSG Hoffenheim, where Bayer 04 endeavoured to control the game but failed to score. The Werkself also had two enforced substitutions due to injuries. Nevertheless, the coach, captain and debutant Janis Blaswich are positive about the coming weeks. The Werkself review.
Show more
