Third place in the team competition plus Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin as the best PlayStation player of the year – the #B04eSports players can go into the new campaign with plenty of confidence. “We want to build on the performances and wins, compete for the title and ideally win it,” said Florian Dederichs, head of eSports at Bayer 04.
For the first time in the still short history of the competition, the participants are divided into two groups according to geography for the forthcoming third season: The ‘North West division’ with Bayer 04 and the ‘South East division’ each have 13 clubs from the Bundesliga and the second division. There will be home and away games between all the clubs. Leverkusen’s division includes seven of the best eight teams in from the last VBL CC season.
From the final tables of the two groups, a total of four teams qualify for the Grand Final – the first and second teams in each. The clubs in positions three to six in each division have the chance to go through to the finals on 27 and 28 March via a play-off – and the opportunity to be the new club champions.
The individual matches will played on EA SPORTS FIFA 21 and, as last season, will be staged in a Davis Cup format: Two games are played one-against-one – one on PlayStation 4 and one on Xbox One. The third clash is two-against- two on the console chosen by the home club.
About the VBL:
In 2012, the DFL, in cooperation with EA SPORTS, set up the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) as the first professional football league to establish an eSport competition. The increasing popularity of the VBL plus the growing relevance of eSport and the focus of the DFL on computer football led to the decision in 2018 to also introduce an individual player competition the VBL Open and the VBL Club Championship with clubs in the Bundesliga and second division. Both competitions are brought together initially in the VBL Play-offs and then the VBL Grand Final.
The situation ahead of the showdown is clear - and promising. The Bayer 04 U19s host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League phase. A win at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium would see the Werkself go through to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time. Ahead of the clash on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/livestream on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app), coach Kevin Brok spoke about the successful build-up, his assessment of the match and the danger of underestimating the already eliminated English side.
Show more
The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
Show more
The next opponents in the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been announced: Bayer 04 will host Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. That was the outcome of the draw held this Sunday evening, 7 December, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where long-time Bundesliga player and coach Friedhelm Funkel made the draw. The Werkself will play their quarter-final tie on 3-4 or 10-11 February 2026. The exact dates have yet to be finalised.
Show more
