Serie B club Venezia FC provide the first opposition for the Werkself in the New Year at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The kick-off against the team including former Bayer 04 player Joel Pohjanpalo is on Saturday 7 January at 15.00 CET. It will be the first meeting of the two clubs.
The second friendly in January is at the BayArena. Bayer 04 host FC Copenhagen in Leverkusen one week before the Bundesliga fixture at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The match on Sunday 15 January kicks off at 14.00 CET.
The Werkself and the top Danish club played each other in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in 2014/15. The tie produced two wins for Bayer 04 (3-2 and 4-0) and secured progress to the group stage of Europe's premier club competition.
Match tickets for the home games against Venezia FC and FC Copenhagen go on sale on 20 December. Club members pay five euros and non-members seven euros.
Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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