Back
23.02.2024Europa League

UEFA Europa League: Werkself face Qarabag in last 16

The draw for the round of 16 of the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League was made on Friday, pairing Bayer 04 with Azerbaijani club Qarabag FK, who the Werkself already met in the group stage.
crop_20231213_JS_Stadionaufnahmen_0895.jpg

Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer 04, said on the draw: "It's a long journey but we're looking forward to the round of 16. We have a good and close relationship with Qarabag and the club's management. They played well in the play-off against Braga. We'll have to take them very seriously and remain as focused as we have been to date."

Simon Rolfes, managing director for sport: "It a familiar opponent for us but certainly not an easy one. Qarabag are a strong side, as they proved in the group stage just gone. The way they turned it around late on in the play-off against Braga deserves great respect. We'll approach this task with a high level of concentration in order to qualify for the quarter-finals over two  challenging legs."

Qarabag finished second in Group H behind Bayer 04 and qualified for the round of 16 by beating Portuguese side Braga in the knockout round play-offs. It's the first time Qarabag have reached the last 16 of a UEFA competition.

The first leg will be played in Baku on Thursday 7 March, with the return leg a week later at the BayArena on Thursday 14 March. The exact kick-off times will be announced on the club's channels as soon as they're confirmed. Ticket information for both games will also follow in due course.

The Europa League quarter-finals take place on 11 and 18 April, the semi-finals on 2 and 9 May. The final in Dublin takes place on 22 May.

The round of 16 draw in full

Sparta Praha vs. Liverpool

Olympique Marseille vs. Villarreal CF

AS Roma vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Benfica vs. Rangers

SC Freiburg vs. West Ham United

Sporting Lisbon vs. Atalanta

AC Milan vs. Slavia Praha

Qarabag vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Related News

Wildcard-Cup
eSports - 06.02.2026

#B04eSports: Register now for the Werkself Wildcard Cup and secure your place in the VBL Open Play-offs

Calling all eSports fans: On Saturday, 21 February (from 16:00 CET), the Werkself Wildcard Cup will take place at XPERION Köln (Hansaring 97, 50670 Cologne). Interested EA FC 26 amateur players will have the opportunity to win attractive prizes and a place in the VBL Open Play-offs by WOW. The play-offs are the final preliminary stage of the VBL Grand Final by WOW, the tournament for the German individual championship and, alongside the club championship (VBL CC), the most important sub-competition in the German eSports scene. Read on for information on registration.

Show more
crop_20251222_JS_14_B04FCB_Frauen_0280.jpg
Women - 05.02.2026

Women’s Bundesliga sets course for next steps

At its first general meeting on 5 February 2026 in Frankfurt am Main, the Frauen Bundesliga FBL e.V. made key decisions regarding the future direction of the Women’s Bundesliga. The meeting was based on the results of the negotiations with the German Football Association (DFB) over the past few weeks.

Show more
Montrell Culbreath lässt seinen Gegenmann stehen
U19 - 04.02.2026

3-2 at Villarreal - U19s lose in the last 32 of the Youth League

The Bayer 04 U19s have bowed out of the UEFA Youth League following a thrilling knockout game. In the round of 32 at Villarreal, Emmanuel Chigozie Owen (11) and Ivan Massek (18) turned an early deficit into a 2-1 half-time lead. However, the Spaniards struck back in the second half to make the final score 3-2, which earned them a place in the round of 16 and brought the Werkself's European campaign to an end.

Show more
Spieltage 25-27
Bundesliga - 04.02.2026

DFL schedules Matchdays 25 - 27 - three Saturday afternoon games

The German Football League (DFL) has scheduled Matchdays 25 - 27 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The fixtures at a glance.

Show more