In the nine-year history of the official eSports Bundesliga of the DFL German Football League, the teams played are in two sections for the 2020/21 season. The divisions are divided regionally into North-West and South-East. The console players of the first and second division clubs play 26 games on their respective leagues with first and second half seasons as in the Bundesliga.
The #B04eSports players secured fifth place in the North-West section with 109 points. That qualifies the team for the Final Chance round. The teams finishing from third to sixth in both divisions face each other as they battle for a place in the VBL Grand Final. The top two teams in the two sections have already qualified for the finals tournament.
The Bayer 04 eSports players finished their division with a final flurry of excellence to confirm their ambition to the Grand Final. Three overall wins and three overall draws were the results for the Black and Reds on the last six matchdays in the North-West section of the VBL Club Championship. “In the end, we gathered all our strength to achieve our target of finishing in the top six,” said Fabian De Cae, Xbox player at Bayer 04. ‘B04_DUBZJE’ along with Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin and youngster Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr plus Anna ‘B04_ANNA’ Klink are the console quartet at the Werkself.
There are four slots in the VBL Grand Final available via the Final Chance round. Leverkusen will face the fourth-placed team in the South-East division, TSG Hoffenheim (from 17.45 CET live on the Bayer 04 Twitch channel and on Instagram). Hoffenheim are in their first season in the VBL and they picked up a total of 99 points. “They have produced impressive performances in their debut season,” said Wollin in praise of the forthcoming opponents. “But our target is clear: We want to come out on top against Hoffenheim with our experience and quality and go through to the Grand Final.”
While the league matches involve 1 v 1 games on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox plus a 2 v 2, the eSports players face a new format in the Final Chance round. The knockout games are a best of three. The first match is a 2 v 2 game. TSG choose the console for the opening game as the better placed club.
That will be followed by a 1 v 1 on the other console. If there is no winner after these two games then there will be a decider on the console not used in the first 1 v 1. If that fails to produce a victor then there will be another 2 v 2 on the console not used in the first 2 v 2.
The VBL Grand Final will be held on 27 and 28 March.
Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
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A first for the Werkself: Today, Thursday 15 October (kick-off: 18:45 CEST), Bayer 04 face Lech Poznan for the first time on matchday 2 in the UEFA Europa League group. Although the Black and Reds have a flawless record against the only Polish opposition faced before, they must not underestimate the attacking ability and goal-scoring threat of the reigning champions from Poznan. Lech’s squad also includes two former Bundesliga players. Today's matchday news.
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Some 30 years on since their last European fixture in Poland, Bayer 04 cross the border for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash against Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase on Thursday (kick-off: 18:45 CEST). Ahead of a first-ever meeting with Lech, head coach Carles Martínez and winger Nathan Tella spoke in Poznan about special memories and objectives.
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The NB Vintage Collection is here and available now! Members enjoy an exclusive priority purchase period (online shop only). Non-members will then be able to purchase items from Saturday 17 October (10:00 CEST). Sales will also begin at the same time at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt.
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