The match against the Spanish top-flight side is part of the 'Trofeo Naranja', a summer cup tournament at FC Valencia since 1959. The friendly will be played at the Estadi de Mestalla, home to the UEFA Cup winners of 2004. Following on from Bayern Munich (1972), Borussia Mönchengladbach (1977, 1979), FC Kaiserslautern (1982), Hamburg SV (1984) and Werder Bremen (1993), Bayer 04 will be the sixth German club to play in the (47th) 'Orange Cup' one year before the Spanish clubs 100th anniversary.
Last season, Valencia ended up fourth in the Primera Division behind Barcelona, Atletico and Real Madrid and are qualified for next season's Champions League. That competition is the only time the Werkself have played the finalists from 2000 and 2001 when the two sides met in the group stage in the 2010/11 campaign. The first leg in Valencia ended in a 3-1 defeat but the Werkself under coach Robin Dutt secured a 2-1 win in the return leg at the BayArena with goals from André Schürrle and Sidney Sam).
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day six (Friday 7 August) is as follows: This morning, the squad completed their final training session – this time behind closed doors – here in Blankenhain, before heading back to Leverkusen after lunch. The big season launch is scheduled for tomorrow.
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