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)
Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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