
The Werkself will play the current champions of Azerbaijan (Qarabag), Norway (Molde) and Sweden (BK Häcken). Bayer 04 will meet all three clubs for the first time.
Fernando Carro, CEO, was at the draw in Monaco along with director of licensed teams Thomas Eichin: "I'm looking forward to the interesting opponents in our group who we will have the necessary respect for. Winning the group can be our only target. The euphoria around reaching the semi-finals last year has given us desire for more – we want to go for it again."
And Simon Rolfes, sporting managing director, also talked about the opponents: "First of all, I'm very much looking forward to seeing Andrey Lunev again after his move to Qarabag. Then we play two Scandinavian teams in Molde and Häcken who are perhaps not that well-known. But last season we saw in Union Saint-Gilloise how much quality these teams can have. It's a good group without a doubt. Our aim is to go through whoever the opponents are."
The first matchday is on Thursday 21 September. The group stage ends on Thursday 14 December. The kick-off times this season are 18.45 and 21.00. Fixture details should be known by Saturday afternoon at the latest. Bayer 04 will communicate these immediately on the club media channels.

Bayer 04 host Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The tie will be played on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, at the BayArena with the kick-off at 20:45 CEST. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
Bayer 04 have the chance to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third time ever and the first in 14 years at Arsenal on Tuesday night (kick-off 21:00 CEST/20:00 local time). To do that, the Werkself not only require a strong performance like in the first leg, but also full concentration until the very last minute, as the Premier League leaders like to score late - as they did at the BayArena last week. Here's the Matchday News.
Show more
A special award for special social commitment. At this year's ceremony for the Sepp Herberger Awards in Wolfsburg on Monday night, the DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation recognised Bayer 04 in the social rehabilitation category. The Bundesliga club received the prize, together with €12,000, for its great service to inmates, particularly in the Wuppertal-Ronsdorf prison.
Show more
Can Bayer 04 pull off a coup in London? Just over a week after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, the Werkself are now looking to put in a convincing performance away at Arsenal – and get a result to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the match on Tuesday, (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand shared his thoughts on the team’s hunger for success. Exequiel Palacios, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of the fixture and the team’s development over the past few months.
Show more
In their last two matches, they’ve done exactly what 'Laterkusen' did in the 2023/24 double-winning season: late on, but not too late, the Gunners scored crucial goals – first in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at Bayer 04, then last weekend in the Premier League against Everton. This Tuesday, 17 March (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Arsenal host the Werkself in London. The latest on our opponents.
Show more