Blood donations are always in great demand but particularly during the coronavirus pandemic – there is a shortage of blood stocks worldwide due to the decline in people willing to donate. Bayer 04 supported the DRK #missingtype campaign last term – and are now calling for donations again. The blood donor session will be held in the Premium Lounge (level 2) at the BayArena in accordance with all the current physical distancing and hygiene measures.
Registration is required: A session can be booked HERE. Further information on blood donation is available HERE.
The Bergische Krankenkasse will also have an information stall on site. Bayer 04 fans can also be tested and entered in the bone marrow donor register.
After the good turn, the Bayer 04 fan liaison team are inviting all blood donors, as well as all interested Werkself fans of course, to visit a flea market on the piazza on the west side of the BayArena. Fans of flea markets can search for and acquire old and new Bayer 04 treasures from 15.00 CET. The money raised will be donated to the support group Förderverein Fanprojekt Leverkusen e.V. to help finance community work and fans in Leverkusen.
Anybody interested should visit the Facebook page of the fan liaison team in the week before the flea market – information will be provided there on the available objects.
The Bayer 04 fan liaison team will be happy to answer questions about the afternoon at the BayArena at Fanbetreuung@Bayer04.de.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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