Matchday news: A new chapter in European competition begins

Tickets are still on open sale for the 2026/27 European campaign. Non-members have access to all sections except the North Stand.

Use the discount code ACROSSEUROPE2627 to get 40 per cent off the price of seated tickets in blocks A and B – excluding tickets from the ticket exchange (tickets).

In addition, the standing area SG1–SG3 is also part of the home section for this match. For these, the prices for standing tickets are reduced to €10 (full price), €8 (concession) and €5 (youth) when using the discount code ALLEFUERB04 – excluding tickets from the ticket exchange (tickets).

GET TICKETS HERE

40 years across Europe. Still Creating History.

Under this motto, Bayer 04 are celebrating 40 years of European football this season, with great nights, unforgettable moments and special encounters – yesterday, today and tomorrow. On 17 September 1986, the Werkself played their first European match against Kalmar FF from Sweden – and won 4–1 thanks to a brace from Christian Schreier and two goals from Bum-kun Cha and Falko Götz. The gallery below shows highlights from the match four decades ago. While former players look back as part of the 2026/27 Europa League season, today’s Werkself aim to add their own chapters to the history books. And an exclusive European jersey links the decades with the silvery sheen of the gleaming trophy.

#B04NKC: match facts

The Werkself have felt really good in the Europa League in front of their home crowd of late, winning all nine of their previous UEL matches at the BayArena. With 20 goal involvements in 28 appearances, it was above all Moussa Diaby has consistently been at his best in the Europa League and he has settled back in at Leverkusen just in time for the start of the 2026/27 campaign.

For NK Celje, meanwhile, this marks their fourth appearance on the European stage. In 2024/25, the Slovenian side even reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League – though they have never faced a German club before. The Black and Reds, on the other hand, have more experience of Slovenian opponents: In the group stage of the 1999/2000 Champions League campaign, they recorded a 2–0 away win against NK Maribor and a 0–0 draw in Leverkusen.

New wi-fi at the BayArena – Ticket exchange update

Not just the seats, but also the Wi-Fi at the BayArena was upgraded in the summer. Instead of the ‘BayArena’ network, fans can now enjoy even better browsing on one of two faster networks: ‘Bayer04’ is the Wi-Fi network for modern devices and offers better bandwidth. Devices that, for technical reasons, cannot connect to this network or on which it does not appear are offered a similarly good solution in the form of ‘Bayer04-classic’. The ‘BayArena’ network will be switched off on 18 October 2026.

There are also changes to the official ticket exchange: with immediate effect, it will always close 30 minutes before the stadium opens – which means at 13:00 CEST for the upcoming home opener.

Werkself Live

Want to start the Europa League season fully up to speed? The best way to do that is to take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday programme, which provides a concise summary of the key facts and figures about the game, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively, it is also available free online. Featured on the XXL poster this time: Argentina international Facundo Medina. Click HERE for the online version.

Celje Coach Zeljkovic: "Historic night"

After Carles Martínez and Aleix Garcia for the Werkself (the pre-match press conference report is HERE ), the away coach Zoran Zeljkovic and Celje captain Mark Zabukovnik were in the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday evening. The Slovenians’ new head coach said: “It’s a historic night; it’s our first match on this stage. The players have earned their place here. But for me too, in terms of the crowd, it’s the biggest match of my career so far. I’m grateful for this opportunity; for me, it’s like a gift. Our opponents undoubtedly have individual quality; they punish even the slightest mistake. Although I haven’t had much time with the team, our approach is clear: we want to prove, with courage and commitment, that we can play good football in Slovenia too.”

Captain Mark Zabukovnik added: “We earned this through hard work last season. But in a way, the match is going to be unpredictable for us. We need to remain focused, disciplined and attentive to detail at all times – especially in defence. Leverkusen are a very good side with a high level of individual quality. But we mustn’t – and won’t – be afraid; we want to play with confidence – that’s the only way forward.”

focus on NK Celje

Having won the league title last season, Celje are still struggling to find their rhythm in the current league campaign. The ‘Grofje’ – meaning ‘the Counts’ – as the team is known in reference to one of the most significant noble dynasties of the late medieval Slovenian region, are seventh in the table after nine games under former coach Vitor Campelos. Improvement is expected under the aforementioned new head coach, Zoran Zeljkovic, who is expected to start picking up points after a very short settling-in period at the BayArena. Among those keen to help is midfield maestro Mario Kvesic, who knows German football well thanks to 111 appearances for Erzgebirge Aue and FC Magdeburg. Further information on Celje can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.

WERKSELFgo: the Bayer 04 car share scheme

With the free car share platform WERKSELFgo, travelling to Leverkusen home matches is now even easier and more convenient. You can form car share groups with other Bayer 04 fans, find lifts and share the cost of the journey. How does it all work? Simply register on the portal using your Bayer 04 account, search for a lift or post a journey yourself. The passengers decide among themselves how much it should cost. Further information is available HERE.

WERKSELFgo!