As with last season, the VBL CC is again divided into two groups according to geography with the Werkself in the North West division. The #B04eSports players kick-off at 18.00 CET against Holstein Kiel who finished two places behind the Black and Reds in seventh place in 2020/21.
"We want to make a good start to the campaign and we have put in a lot of training over recent weeks," said Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ de Cae, who will start on Xbox as usual and is once again rated as one of the top players on that console.
After the end of the career for Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin, Bayer 04 have strengthened by bringing in Furkan ‘FURKY’ Kayacik. The 22-year-old impressed in the pre-season and has declared his target following his presentation in an interview with bayer04.de: "I'd like to achieve the maximum in all areas."
The squad is completed by the youngsters Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr and newcomer Paul ‘B04_PAUL’ Degner plus the Women's team goalkeeper Anna ‘B04_ANNA’ Klink.
As in previous years, a matchday evening in the VBL CC this term is a double matchday. That means de Cae and Co. will follow the matches against KSV Holstein from 20.00 CET with games against the Schalke 04 eSports players who finished eleventh in the North West division in 2020/21.
The clashes with the Royal Blues will also be streamed live on the Bayer 04 Twitch channel.
Bayer 04 host Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The tie will be played on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, at the BayArena with the kick-off at 20:45 CEST. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
Bayer 04 have the chance to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third time ever and the first in 14 years at Arsenal on Tuesday night (kick-off 21:00 CEST/20:00 local time). To do that, the Werkself not only require a strong performance like in the first leg, but also full concentration until the very last minute, as the Premier League leaders like to score late - as they did at the BayArena last week. Here's the Matchday News.
Show more
A special award for special social commitment. At this year's ceremony for the Sepp Herberger Awards in Wolfsburg on Monday night, the DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation recognised Bayer 04 in the social rehabilitation category. The Bundesliga club received the prize, together with €12,000, for its great service to inmates, particularly in the Wuppertal-Ronsdorf prison.
Show more
Can Bayer 04 pull off a coup in London? Just over a week after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, the Werkself are now looking to put in a convincing performance away at Arsenal – and get a result to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the match on Tuesday, (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand shared his thoughts on the team’s hunger for success. Exequiel Palacios, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of the fixture and the team’s development over the past few months.
Show more
In their last two matches, they’ve done exactly what 'Laterkusen' did in the 2023/24 double-winning season: late on, but not too late, the Gunners scored crucial goals – first in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at Bayer 04, then last weekend in the Premier League against Everton. This Tuesday, 17 March (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Arsenal host the Werkself in London. The latest on our opponents.
Show more
