This week started with a rearranged fixture in the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) from matchday 11 against the FC Köln eSports players. The opening match on PlayStation 5 saw Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr draw 0-0 with Denis ‘DENIS’ Müller. The one-vs-one on Xbox Series S/X ended in a 5-1 defeat for Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ de Cae against Köln’s Tim ‘THESTRXNGER’ Katnawatos.
The overall result was a deserved 4-4 draw as Landwehr and Paul ‘B04_PAUL’ Degner were able to win 2-1 in the following two-vs-two encounter.
The Werkself eSports players end the first half of the Club Championship season at the usual VBL kick-off time on Tuesday night. That starts at 18.00 CET with the match against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Foals are currently fifth in the VBL table with a three-point lead over Bayer 04 in seventh. "We've set ourselves the target of ending the first half of the season by overtaking one of our direct rivals in Gladbach," explained ‘MARC_LDW23’ in outlining the intentions for the evening.
The Black and Reds then face Holstein Kiel at 20.00 CET. The matches against the team bottom in the North West Division starts the second half of the campaign. The final matchday is set for 1 March.
The matches involving the #B04eSports players will be broadcast as usual on the club Twitch channel. HERE is the link to the channel.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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