Mission accomplished. Bayer 04 Leverkusen are German champions - and with five matchdays to spare! These historic scenes at the BayArena were not only the culmination of many months of sweat and toil in training, but also many unforgettable moments. Dazzing performances, wonder goals, comebacks. And all of this in front of and above all thanks to the fantastic support of the fans. So, in the end, Leverkusen won its well-deserved first Bundesliga title. One that also rewrites a few chapters in the history books of German professional football.
Bayer 04 are the 13th different club to win the domestic crown and the first 'new' one since VfL Wolfsburg in 2009. After 29 matchdays, the Werkself can mathematically no longer be caught by the chasing pack. Only twice in Bundesliga history has the title been decided earlier than in this season.
In the previous 11 years, it's always been the FC Bayern Munich players lifting the Meisterschale at the end of the campaign. But it's not only in recent weeks that Bayer 04 have looked like ending FCB's run. The Werkself have been top of the table on 24 of 29 matchdays this term, and haven't lost a single one of those 29 league games - something no other team have achieved in the history of the German top flight.
The Werkself have collected a remarkable 79 of a possible 87 points - more than ever before in the club's history. This record can of course be extended further in the remaining matches of the season.
Without doubt, head coach Xabi Alonso has been one of the many key figures behind this historic success. The club hierarchy of Werner Wenning, chairman of the shareholders committee, CEO Fernando Carro and managing director for sport Simon Rolfes placed great faith in the Spaniard when they appointed him in October 2022 - and he's repaid them with the league title.
The 42-year-old took charge with the Werkself in 17th place. In his first season as a first-team head coach, Alonso guided the side to sixth place and European qualification. After his first summer with the squad, the incredible run of now 43 games in all competitions without defeat began. There's never been a run like it in German football. What's more, Alonso boasts the highest ever points average for a Leverkusen boss with 2.2.
In his first full year as a head coach at professional level, Alonso already has a first domestic championship. The Spaniard has plenty of experience of winning trophies from his playing days, though - including three Bundesliga titles with Bayern and one with Real Madrid in Spain. Alonso is the ninth person to win the Bundesliga as both a player and coach, joining Hansi Flick, Niko Kovac, Thomas Schaaf, Matthias Sammer, Franz Beckenbauer, Felix Magath, Jupp Heynckes and Helmut Benthaus.
There's been huge potential in this young squad for years. Before this season, Rolfes and Co brought in experienced players like Granit Xhaka, Jonas Hofmann and Alejandro Grimaldo, as well as other talented players such as Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella and Arthur. They all brought a new structure to the Werkself's squad, and together with their fellow teammates created an irrepressible winning mentality.
And the fairytale season could get better still. Lukas Hradecky, Jonathan Tah, Granit Xhaka, Florian Wirtz and Co are motivated to keep going, not just in the Bundesliga but in the DFB Cup and UEFA Europa League, too.
Bayer 04 are already in the final of the DFB Cup, where they'll meet 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the final in Berlin on 25 May. If they succeed, their first league title would become a first domestic double. It would also be just the second cup success after 1993.
In the Europa League, meanwhile, the 2-0 win at home to West Ham United a few days ago has put Alonso's men in a good position for the second leg of the quarter-final in London this Thursday. AC Milan or Roma await in the semi-fianls, with the final taking place three days before the cup final in Dublin.
But the Werkself pros aren't preoccupied with such scenarios yet. Even after this historic achievement of the first German championship, they'll keep doing what they've been doing - step by step. Just as they've been doing since the start of the season. But for now, they and, above all, their fans can continue to enjoy this unforgettable day. The dream has come true.
Bayer 04 has secured a new premium partner in DXC Technology, a leading provider of enterprise technology and innovation. The club has agreed a partnership with DXC running until 30 June 2028. At the heart of the partnership is DXC’s role as an AI integration partner. The company is integrating Bayer 04’s previously separate digital systems into a unified fan journey that begins long before matchday and extends well beyond the stadium visit. As a partner of the women’s team and main sponsor of #B04eSports, DXC will be supporting two promising sections of the club during this period. DXC will also gain significant visibility as the sleeve partner of the women’s team in the DFB Pokal.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured a new premium partner in the form of DRIVIO. DRIVIO, already part of the club’s partner portfolio as a reliable car subscription partner for Bayer 04, will continue to support the club in this capacity and, with immediate effect, also join the premium group of companies that cooperate closely with the Werkself. The premium and car subscription partnership between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and DRIVIO will initially run until 30 June 2027.
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Following last weekend’s big game against Wolfsburg, Bayer 04 Women face another exciting challenge as they visit Hoffenheim to kick off Matchday 3 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga on Friday (kick-off: 18:30 CEST).
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Under the slogan ‘Holidays without War’, 60 children from war-torn Ukraine took part in the summer camp organised by the German-Ukrainian association Blau-Gelbes Kreuz in Leverkusen and the surrounding area in August. The children aged between 10 and 14 – many of whom have lost their parents in the war – come from the Ukrainian twin towns of Leverkusen, Cologne and Monheim am Rhein: Nikopol, Dnipro and Volodymyr. Bayer 04, Bayer AG and TSV Bayer 04 supported the camp to mark its 10th anniversary, enabling even more children and young people than in previous years to spend a few carefree days’ holiday away from the war in the Rhineland.
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Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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