The last international break was six months ago – UEFA postponed the 2021 European Championships in England by a year in April due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament will now be held from 7 July to 1 August 2022.
Henrietta Csiszár, Dóra Zeller and Lilla Turanyi want to take the next step towards qualification with Hungary against Sweden on 17 September and Latvia on 22 September. Also in Group F, Sandra Maria Jessen with Iceland is set to play against Latvia (17 September); Sweden provide the second opposition in this international break on 22 September.
Summer signing Sylwia Matysik plays the Czech Republic twice with Poland (18 and 22 September). Ivana Rudelic is with the Croatian national team for the games against Switzerland (18 September) and Romania (22 September). Austria’s Viktoria Pinther has just one international fixture coming up: Against Kazakhstan on 22 September. Lara Marti is on standby for Switzerland. The Swiss meet Croatia and Belgium (18 and 22 September).
Milena Nikolic had to drop out from international duty with Bosnia-Herzegovina due to injury. The 28-year-old broke a finger in a challenge in Friday night’s Bundesliga game against MSV Duisburg (2-0) and now undergoes an operation on Wednesday.
The Werkself Women left behind in Leverkusen have a game this week: A friendly against the Germany Women’s U19 team has been arranged for Saturday, 19 September. The match will be played behind closed doors.
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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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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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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