The first leg in Switzerland will be played on Thursday 18 February. The second leg at the BayArena is a week later on Thursday 25 February. UEFA will confirm the kick-off times of 18.55 CET or 21.00 CET shortly.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes: “This draw is very interesting. Switzerland against Germany - that always has its appeal. The Young Boys Bern are not to be underestimated. They’re showing their class as the leaders in the Swiss league. We’re looking forward to the games. Our clear target is to go through to the Round of 16.”
Bayer 04 finished top of Group C with 15 points; the narrow 1-0 defeat with ten men at Slavia Prague is the only reverse for the Werkself this term. The team under head coach Peter Bosz also set a new German record with 21 goals scored in the group stage of the Europa League.
Round of 32 draw in full:
Wolfsberger AC (Austria) v Tottenham Hotspur (England)
Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) v Club Brugge (Belgium)
Real Sociedad (Spain) v Manchester United (England)
Benfica (Portugal) v Arsenal (England)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) v AC Milan (Italy)
Royal Antwerp (Belgium) v Rangers (Scotland)
Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) v Leicester City (England)
FC Salzburg (Austria) v Villarreal (Spain)
SC Braga (Portugal) v AS Roma (Italy)
Young Boys Bern (Switzerland) v Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany)
FK Krasnodar (Russia) v Dinamo Zagreb (Serbia)
Molde FK (Norway) v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Germany)
FC Granada (Spain) v Napoli (Italy)
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) v Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
OSC Lille (France) v Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Olympiakos (Greece) v PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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