This is Bayer 04's third appearance in a major European final (after 1987/88 and 2001/02), and Atalanta's first. The two clubs have met twice in competitive matches so far, with the Italians winning both encounters in the round of 16 of the 2021/22 Europa League campaign.
Atalanta can also become the first Italian team to win the Europa League. So far, only clubs from Spain, Portugal, England and Germany have been victorious in the competition. The last Italian team to win the UEFA Cup (predecessor to the UEFA Europa League) was Parma in the 1998/99 season.
Today's venue, the Dublin Arena has previously hosted one Europa League final, in the 2010/11 season. Back then, Porto and Sporting Braga contested an all-Portuguese final, with Porto winning 1-0. Outside of UEFA competitions, the ground is known as the "Aviva Stadium". It's shaped like a horseshoe and is the second largest stadium in Ireland.
A week ago, Atalanta suffered a painful 1-0 defeat against Juventus in the final of the Coppa Italia. Three days later, however, they were successful in their dress rehearsal for today's Europa League final: the Black & Blues won 2-0 at U.S. Lecce to secure a fifth-place finish in Serie A. The Italians, for whom former Leverkusen defender Mitchel Bakker has also been playing since the start of the season, have thus already achieved their first major goal with two matchdays still to go: qualification for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. With head coach Gian Piero Gasperini in charge, Atalanta will be competing in Europe's premier club competition for the fourth time. The 66-year-old has been at the helm of the side since 2016. Our in-depth opposition profile has everything else you need to know about the club from Lombardy.
Like the Werkself, Atalanta ended the group stage without defeat. Bayer 04 went on to beat Qarabag in the round of 16, West Ham United in the quarter-finals and Roma in the semi-finals. For their part, the Italians defeated Sporting Lisbon in the round of 16. They then knocked out Liverpool in the quarter-finals before going on to book their place in the final against Marseille.
UEFA have appointed Romanian referee István Kovács for the match in Dublin. The 39-year-old will be assisted by his compatriots Vasile Florin Marinescu and Mihai Ovidiu Artene on the touchline, while VAR duties will be carried out by Dutchman Pol van Boekel.
Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
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Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
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Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
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After 62 days of preparation, the time has finally come: the Werkself kick off the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season on Sunday (16:00 CEST) with an away match at RB Leipzig. Following a major shake-up over the summer, with eleven players leaving and twelve new signings, initial impressions from the past few weeks have given manager Roberto Pätzold great cause for optimism.
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SV Wehen Wiesbaden undoubtedly envisaged a different start to the new season. After two matchdays, the Hessen side currently sit bottom of the Liga 3 table. On Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), SVWW host the Werkself in the first round of the DFB Pokal at their home ground, the BRITA Arena. It was there, in this very competition a year ago, that the club almost pulled off a massive upset. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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