Fernando Carro, CEO at Bayer 04, watched the draw in person in Monaco and said afterwards: “We can look forward to an exciting Europa League season. Marseille and Lyon are big names in European football; in Dinamo Zagreb, we’ll be facing the Croatian serial champions; and the home match against Beşiktaş is sure to be something special too. Indeed, several of our opponents are clubs that have dominated their domestic leagues for many years and won numerous league titles. We’re approaching this competition with great anticipation – and with the clear ambition to play a very important role on the European stage again this season.”
“We’ve been drawn against some very attractive opponents, including some big names. It’s going to be a challenging sporting journey across Europe,” said managing director sport Simon Rolfes, who also declared: “We are really motivated going into this competition and we’re placing a special focus on it this season. Our aim is to reach the Round of 16 in March via the direct route – in other words, to finish among the top 16 teams.”
In the league phase, Afonso Moreira (previously at Lyon) and Facundo Medina (at Marseille) will face their former clubs, whilst Ernest Poku will be reunited with the Black and Reds as he now plays for Beşiktaş.
Home games:
Away games:
UEFA will announce who the Werkself will face on which matchday by Sunday 30 August at the latest. Bayer 04 will provide this information via the club media channels as usual.
The knockout stages begin in mid-February 2027 with the play-offs and in mid-March 2027 with the Round of 16. The final will be played in Frankfurt on Wednesday 26 May 2027.
Tickets for the first home match of the 2026/27 league season go on sale on Thursday, 3 September, at 12:00 CEST. As usual, Bayer 04 will announce all further information regarding ticket sales in advance via the club media channels. Please note: The international season ticket, which guarantees fans tickets for every 2026/27 UEL home match up to and including a possible semi-final, is already sold out.
In the 2026/27 Europa League campaign, Bayer 04 will be celebrating 40 years of European football. Alongside the exclusive kit, a European range also showcases the Werkself’s history in Europe. Further information is available HERE.
Auch in der UEFA Europa League sind Club-Touren für Bayer 04-Mitglieder geplant. Details zu den Reisen gibt Bayer 04 rechtzeitig auf den klubeigenen Kanälen bekannt.
After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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Newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg will begin the 2026/27 season as Bundesliga club number 59. The Saarland club start their first Bundesliga campaign at home to the Werkself on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST) at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, which is currently being rebuilt. For one Leverkusen player in the ‘Elv’ line-up, the clash will be a special reunion. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Ernest Poku is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play in the Turkish Süper Lig. The club has loaned the Dutch winger to Beşiktaş for one year. If certain criteria are met, the Istanbul club – who finished fourth in the Turkish top flight last season – will be obliged to make the move permanent.
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