The two teams in the final have been confirmed for nearly weeks. The identity of the match officials for the 77th DFB Cup final was revealed on Saturday morning: The German Football Association have opted for Tobias Welz, one of the most experienced referees. The man from Wiesbaden is assisted by Rafael Foltyn and Martin Thomsen on the touchlines. Patrick Ittrich is the fourth official and the video assistant is Felix Zwayer.
As usual, Germany’s domestic cup final – to be broadcast in 193 countries –is available free-to-air on ARD. It is also on pay TV broadcaster Sky. Fans of the Black and Reds can listen to commentary on Werkself Radio and follow the match via live text commentary.
The big black and red live show for the final! From 19.04 CET, Bayer 04 will again present the ‘19:04 – The Show for the #FinaLEV’ on Facebook and YouTube from the Schwadbud. Today’s guest will be the Leverkusen old hand Peter Hermann, assistant coach for the DFB Cup final win in 1993. René Adler, goalkeeper in the last final involving the Werkself in 2009, will also join in and honorary captain Stefan Kießling will provide updates from Berlin. There will also be other surprises during the show – get ready and tune in!
“Bring the cup back to LEV – make history”: These emotional words are to be seen in the stands at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin to the left and right of the Marathon Gate. That is where the Werkself fans would have been seated. To provide support for the team, the seats in that area will be covered with black and red T-shirts – so the “North Stand” will be in Berlin. This also makes it clear: The whole club is longing for the second DFB Cup win in the club’s history.
The DFB official match magazine provides a review of the season and gives fans, who unfortunately have to watch the game at home on TV, all the information required on the final and the two finalists. This includes, from a black and red perspective, the DFB youth coach Christian Wück discussing the Leverkusen youngster Florian Wirtz, who could be the youngest-ever player in the history of the DFB Cup final. And Michael Ballack, who played for both clubs, reveals who he believes should lift the trophy. Click HERE for the online edition of the DFB match magazine.
This news will interest anyone backing the team from Leverkusen: The special edition #B04RLIN Werkself Magazine is out! We look back with black and red contemporaries such as Andreas Thom and René Adler at the three previous final appearances of Bayer 04. Plus: in-depth interviews with sporting director Simon Rolfes and cup specialist Lukas Hradecky. Click HERE for the online version, print copies have been posted out to Club members.
The traditional ecumenical service held on the day of the DFB Cup final has a new format this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of a service at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, the representatives of the Christian churches plus DFB president Fritz Keller have produced a 13-minute video message of devotion for the football fans.
Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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A bitter end to the fifth showdown of the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship as the #B04eSports team failed to take any points in the three remaining matches of the preliminary online round of the fifth and final showdown, missing out on the offline round. They can no longer take points in the overall table. Bayer 04 slipped out on the top eight, so direct participation in the final event for the German Club Championship is no longer possible, with Bayer 04 having to contest the play-offs.
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A rematch in Athens: On Wednesday, 18 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), the Werkself face Greek double winners Olympiacos for the second time this season at the Karaiskakis Stadium. After the encounter in the league phase, it's now time for the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-offs. Ahead of the game, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about how his side will approach the clash, while captain Robert Andrich explained how the team will try to dampen the atmosphere in the stadium tomorrow.
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With the much-celebrated 2-1 derby win against 1. FC Köln, the Bayer 04 Women underlined their credentials as one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Anyone wishing to support the Werkself in the stadium in the race for third place can now purchase tickets for the home match against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Tickets are also still available for the upcoming clash against TSG Hoffenheim at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday, 22 February. The latest information at a glance.
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Let's give it our all one more time! Today, Tuesday 17 February (live on the VBL Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the #B04eSports team play the remaining three preliminary round matches of the fifth and final showdown of the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. The Leverkusen console pros go up against 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg and Bayern Munich, aiming to secure their place in the offline knockout round and pick up valuable points for the overall table and the battle to get into the final event for the German Club Championship. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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