The Black and Yellows ended the domestic season in the Swedish Allsvenskan league three weeks ago. Last season's champions finished third this time. The 2-1 defeat on the final matchday against IF Brommapojkarna did not affect the final positions. Häcken were more or less certain of finishing in third place. That puts them in the qualifying round for the UEFA Europa League. Coach Per-Mathias Högmo summed up the season: "We played some very good football in the spring and summer. Our performances were too inconsistent after the summer. This year we didn't deserve to finish higher than third place but I think it is acceptable under the circumstances and with all the success we have had." Häcken won the domestic cup competition in 2023 in addition to the championship last year. And reaching the group stage of the Europa League was also a great achievement for the club.
In the end, Häcken were unable to compete in the title race in the Allsvenskan but they did play an important role in the outcome of the the league campaign. The Högmo team beat title favourites Malmö FF 4-2 at home on the penultimate matchday. The stand-out player for the hosts was the 18-year-old midfielder Pontus Dahbo who scored two goals. Malmö were lucky that title rivals and league leaders Elfsborg only managed to draw 2-2 in their home game. Swedish record champions Malmö were able to secure their 23rd league title with a 1-0 victory over Elfsborg on the final matchday of the season. The winner was scored by a familiar face in Leverkusen: Isaac Kiese Thelin played for Bayer 04 for a year in the 2018/19 season (14 games, one goal).
Häcken are bottom of the table in Group H of the Europa League with no points to date. The opening 4-0 defeat away to the Werkself was followed by a 1-0 loss against Qarabag at home and then two defeats (1-5, 1-3) against Molde. Together with TSC Backa Topola, group opponents for SC Freiburg, Häcken have conceded 13 goals and that is the equal highest of all the 32 teams participating in the competition.
In the match at the BayArena two months ago the Werkself were on top early and went 2-0 up with goals from Florian Wirtz (10') and Amine Adli (16'). Victor Boniface (66') and Jonas Hofmann (70') extended the lead to 4-0 for the clearly superior hosts.
The Swedish team, less prolific in the Europa League, scored the highest number of goals in the Allsvenskan (69). On the European stage Häcken have had relatively few shots on goal but there is also room for improvement in converting chances.
As Häcken have not played another game since 12 November, the team prepared for the match against Bayer 04 with a friendly last Friday. The Black and Yellows beat Norwegian second division team Kongsvinger IL 2-1 at home at the Ullevi in Gothenburg. Experienced player Mikkel Rygaard opened the scoring for the Swedes, striker Ola Kamara netted the winner at 2-1 just before the end of the game. "I think we played well," said assistant coach Jesper Ljung. "We used the game to get the feel for the Ullevi again before next Thursday but also to fine tune some tactical details we worked on during the week."
The 18-year-old striker Momodou Sonko played in the friendly a couple of days after being voted Youth Player of the Year in 2023 in Sweden. Sonko scored seven goals in 23 games in the Allsvenskan and he also provided four assists. He has also scored one of the two Häcken goals in the Europa League this term.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen welcomes a new official member to the Sponsors’ Club at the start of the 2026/27 campaign. KKV Kabelverlegung GmbH & Co. KG is expanding its existing partnership and will, with immediate effect, act as a supporter of the Bundesliga club at the second-highest partner level, just below the premium tier. As an official partner in the Sponsors’ Club, KKV will now enjoy significantly enhanced visibility during Werkself matches at the BayArena. The new contract is initially valid until 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has extended the existing partnership agreement with EDO Personalservice GmbH and, at the same time, expanded its collaboration with the Cologne-based company. The official partner in the Business Club has been upgraded within Bayer 04’s partner network. The revised and enhanced support for the club has initially been agreed for two years, running until 30 June 2028.
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Video games developer Electronic Arts (EA), in collaboration with the Bundesliga, has announced the six nominees for the Bundesliga ‘Player of the Month’ award for September – Bayer 04’s Miguel Gutiérrez has made it into this select group after just four Bundesliga matches. Fans of the Black and Reds can vote from now until Sunday 27 September (23:59 CEST).
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Calling Bayer 04 fans: The 2026/27 campaign will really pick up pace after the international break – and if you want to get your hands on a very special Black and Red souvenir in time, now is your chance. Jerseys signed by Werkself players such as Patrik Schick and Edmond Tapsoba are now available via the web shop. It’s worth being quick, as the offer is valid only whilst stocks last.
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