The 64 best players in the world in the virtual football game played in London last weekend to determine who would go through to the finals tournament in the EA FC Pro Open. Sean Landwehr, at Bayer 04 since the summer, qualified for matchday two on the first day with three wins out of five games and he progressed to the finals tournament with two wins out of three matches. This will be played from the end of November to the beginning of February 2024. Over the eight weeks, 16 qualifiers plus the top four players from last season will compete to be the EA FC Pro Open Camp in 2024.
The format of the competition has four groups with five players in each and Sean Landwehr is in Group C. There are home and away matches in these groups. The top two in each group go through to the play-offs. That marks the start of the knockout rounds with no replays. The top four qualify automatically for the finals tournament next year and also for the World Championship tournament.
Sean Landwehr "can hardly believe it that I’m in the top of the elite along with 19 other eSports players and I’m now competing for the crown in EA FC eSports. A big thank you goes to my cousin and team-mate Marc (#B04eSports player Marc Landwehr, ed.) who has supported me throughout the tournament. I'd never have got to where I am now without him and my coach Marvin Hintz.”
Josua Lehr, head of pre-sales and product development and also responsible for eSports at Bayer 04, declared: "As B04eSports, we are incredibly proud of Sean's performance. What Sean has achieved in his first international tournament is at a world-class level. We will continue to support him as best as possible and together with him, Marc and Bulji look to get off to a flying start to the VBL season at the weekend.”
Bayer 04 play Borussia Mönchengladbach from 15.30 on Saturday 18 November at the Street Kickers base in Cologne in the opener in the new season of the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL).
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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