The opening fixture on Tuesday 15 November (18.00 CET) is against Hamburg SV who finished second in the North West division last term. The opponents at 19.30 on matchday two are Holstein Kiel. The Saturday games on 19 November see the Leverkusen eSports players take on VfL Bochum (15.30 CET) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (17.00 CET).
Further exciting games follow at the beginning of December: On Sunday 4 December there is first the virtual derby against FC Köln from 15.30 CET and then the clash with last year's winners of the North West division, Hansa Rostock, from 17.00 CET. The Black and Reds then play the runners-up of the VBL Club Championship 2021/22 two days later: The fixture against FC St. Pauli is at 18.00 CET on St Nicolas Day.
The calendar year is rounded off with a treble matchday: Tuesday 20 December brings games against Schalke 04 (18.00 CET), Hertha Berlin (19.30 CET) and Werder Bremen (21.00 CET). The second half of the season starts in the New Year on Tuesday 10 January (18.00 CET) with the return match against HSV. The last match of the season is on Tuesday 28 February.
As usual, each fixture involves a best-of-three format, with two one-v-one games and one two-v-two match. The games are assessed individually according to three points for a win. At the end of the 30 matchdays, the top two teams in each division compete for the final round of the VBL Club Championship on 25 and 26 March 2023.
The teams finishing from third to sixth in each division meet on 7 and 8 March in the VBL Club Championship play-offs to determine the remaining four places in the finals. The German club champions are then determined by a knockout competition between the eight teams in the finals.
Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr and Furkan ‘FURKY’ Kayacik will go in search of virtual goals this term and the duo are joined by the new #B04eSports talent Mario ‘BULJI’ Lovrinovic. As with last year, the matches involving the Leverkusen eSports players will be broadcast live on the club’s Twitch channel.
Further information on the participating teams and the structure of the season for this year's VBL Club Championship plus the ensuing VBL Grand Final, where the German individual championship will be played, can be found HERE.
The Werkself are away to Premier League club Chelsea in the final pre-season friendly. The game against the current holders of the UEFA Conference League is on Friday, 8 August at Stamford Bridge with the kick-off at 20:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Dutch top-flight club Fortuna Sittard in the third pre-season friendly. The match is on Friday, 1 August at the Fortuna Sittard stadium with the kick-off at 19:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to VfL Bochum in the second pre-season friendly. The match is on Sunday, 27 July at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion with the kick-off at 18:00 CEST. Read on for the latest information on ticket sales.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the England U21 international and European champion Jarell Quansah. The central defender joins Leverkusen from Premier League champions Liverpool on a contract to 30 June 2030.
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