“We’re looking forward to the reunion with Paderborn in the second round. After the last sixteen encounter at the BayArena two years ago, we’ll take on this very ambitious second-tier side once again – this time away at Paderborn,” said Bayer 04 managing director sport Simon Rolfes. “Our goal is clear: we want to advance to the last sixteen at the end of October.”
Bayer 04 will announce the exact kick-off time and ticket information on its channels as soon as they are finalised.
The last-16 ties will be played on 2/3 December and the quarter-final matches will be staged on 3/4 and 10/11 February 2026, with the semi-finals to be played on 21/22 April 2026 before the final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on 23 May 2026.
The second-round ties at a glance:
FV Illertissen - 1. FC Magdeburg
FC Energie Cottbus - RB Leipzig
1. FC Union Berlin - DSC Arminia Bielefeld
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 - Hamburger SV
Borussia Mönchengladbach - Karlsruher SC
Hertha BSC - SV 07 Elversberg
SpVgg Greuther Fürth - 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Eintracht Frankfurt - Borussia Dortmund
SV Darmstadt 98 - FC Schalke 04
FC Augsburg - VfL Bochum 1848
Fortuna Düsseldorf - SC Freiburg
SC Paderborn 07 - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1. FSV Mainz 05 - VfB Stuttgart
VfL Wolfsburg - Holstein Kiel
1. FC Köln - FC Bayern München
FC St. Pauli - TSG Hoffenheim
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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