Dates confirmed for Werkself’s games in 2025/26 UEFA Champions League’s league phase
UEFA have confirmed the fixture list for the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.
Bayer 04 fixture list:
Matchday 1
Copenhagen vs. Bayer 04
Thursday, 18 September, 6.45pm CEST
Matchday 2
Bayer 04 vs. PSV Eindhoven
Wednesday, 1 October, 9pm CEST
Matchday 3
Bayer 04 vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Tuesday, 21 October, 9pm CEST
Matchday 4
Benfica vs. Bayer 04
Wednesday, 5 November, 9pm CET
Matchday 5
Manchester City vs. Bayer 04
Tuesday, 25 November, 9pm CET
Matchday 6
Bayer 04 vs. Newcastle United
Wednesday, 10 December, 9pm CET
Matchday 7
Olympiacos vs. Bayer 04
Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 9pm CET
Matchday 8
Bayer 04 vs. Villarreal
Wednesday, 28 January 2026, 9pm CET
Key dates for 2025/26:
- Knockout play-offs: 17/18 and 24/25 February 2026
- Round of 16: 10/11 and 17/18 March 2026
- Quarter-finals: 7/8 and 14/15 April 2026
- Semi-finals: 28/29 April and 5/6 May 2026
- Final: 30 May 2026 in Budapest
Rolfes: "the target is clear: reaching the round of 16"
Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, and Simon Rolfes, managing director sport at Bayer 04, spoke after the draw. Carro: “We are very happy with our opponents, we look forward to great European nights at the BayArena, particularly the game against PSG. For our fans the away trips such as the one to Manchester City will also be a very special experience. And we feel proud that we are able to present ourselves in this international context. We are also very much looking forward to the reunion with Peter Bosz in Leverkusen. We go into these games with great anticipation and we want to reach the Round of 16."
Rolfes said: “I'm very much looking forward to the new Champions League campaign. We have been drawn against great opponents in the league phase and we want to show the whole of Europe as we did last year what the qualities of Bayer 04 Leverkusen are and that we are a force to be reckoned with. Of course, we face two really big clubs in world football in PSG and Manchester City. But the matches against Benfica and Newcastle United also promise to be great football nights both away as well as at the BayArena. The target is clear: Reaching the Round of 16."
Preliminary ticket information:
Champions League tickets will be exclusively available to Bayer 04 club members. Detailed information on ticket allocation for the individual matches will follow on Monday, 1 September on the club’s media channels. Newsletter subscribers will receive all the information on the start of ticket sales in advance. Click HERE to subscribe.
Further explanation of the 2025/26 Champions League format can be found HERE to read again.
Related News
Club - 26.05.2026
Successful season finale: Members event at the BayArena
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 25.05.2026
Season review 2025/26, part II: Highs and lows of an eventful season
Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 25.05.2026
Rogier Meijer leaves Bayer 04 to join Sparta Rotterdam as head coach
Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 24.05.2026
2025/26 season review, part I: Upheaval, change, euphoria
Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
Show more
