
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.

From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
Show more
There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
Show more
The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
Show more
The draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 was made today, Friday 27 February: Bayer 04 face Premier League leaders Arsenal. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes sees the English team as a "top opponent" and is looking forward to meeting former Werkself players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie again.
Show more
After three consecutive victories, FSV Mainz 05 recently suffered setbacks against Borussia Dortmund (0-4) and Hamburger SV (1-1) in the battle to stay up. Nevertheless, the Mainz 05 performance curve has shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. Their coach and a former Leverkusen player in particular have played a decisive role in this. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more