The second round DFB Cup tie between the Werkself Women's team and the newly promoted side from Bundesliga 2 North, to be played between 25 and 27 September, will be the first meeting of the two clubs – and will also bring a reunion with two former Leverkusen players: Frederike Kempe and Gianna Rackow left the club in the summer to head east.
Leipzig came through the first round with a 10-0 victory against ATS Buntentor from the Regional League North. Bayer 04 are only now in the competition as one of the ten best-placed teams in the FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga as they each received a bye.
The first two rounds of the cup are played in regional groups. The allocation of the qualified teams these groups is made by the DFB Committee for Women's and Girls’ football according to geographic criteria.
Northern Group:
SV Meppen (Women's Bundesliga 2) vs SGS Essen (Women's Bundesliga)
RB Leipzig (Women's Bundesliga 2) vs Bayer 04 (Women's Bundesliga)
Borussia Bocholt (Women's Bundesliga 2) vs SV Werder Bremen (Women's Bundesliga)
MSV Duisburg (Women's Bundesliga 2) vs VfL Wolfsburg (Women's Bundesliga)
DSC Arminia Bielefeld (Regional League West) vs FC Köln (Women's Bundesliga)
Hannover 96 (Regional League North) vs FFC Turbine Potsdam (Women's Bundesliga)
FSV Babelsberg 74 (Regional League North-East) vs Sportfreunde Siegen (Regional League West)
Hamburger SV (Regional League North) vs FSV Gütersloh (Women's Bundesliga 2)
Rostocker FC (Regional League North-East) vs SV Henstedt-Ulzburg (Women's Bundesliga 2)
Southern Group:
Hegauer FV (Oberliga Baden-Württemberg/Division 4) vs FC Carl Zeiss Jena (Women's Bundesliga)
SV Elversberg (Women's Bundesliga 2) vs FC Bayern München (Women's Bundesliga)
SG 99 Andernach (Women's Bundesliga 2) vs SC Sand (Women's Bundesliga)
FC Würzburger Kickers (Regional League South) vs TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Women's Bundesliga)
FC Nürnberg (Women's Bundesliga 2) vs SG Eintracht Frankfurt (Women's Bundesliga)
SpVgg Germania Ebing (North Bavaria State League/Division 5) vs SC Freiburg (Women's Bundesliga)
Wormatia Worms (Regional League South-West) vs Karlsruher SC (Regional League South)
In Germany, the temperatures are currently around zero, leaving even professional footballers freezing - but not the Bayer 04 Women. Roberto Pätzold's team have fled the cold to the south and are preparing for the second half of the season at a training camp in the Algarve, almost 2,000 kilometres away from home as the crow flies. The Leverkusen squad landed in Faro on Saturday morning and have already completed the first three training sessions over the weekend.
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It was a disappointing Saturday night. The Werkself lost 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart to start the new year on Bundesliga matchday 16 in 2025/26, a result that left both players and fans disappointed. "We played without any passion," said Alejandro Grimaldo honestly afterwards. Teammate Jarell Quansah was even more self-critical, emphasising: "We were miles off it in the first half. You can't put in a performance like that, especially in front of our own fans and I can only apologise to them, to be honest." Read on for the reaction, facts and stats from the clash with VfB Stuttgart in the Werkself review.
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Women’s team forward Paulina Bartz is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play for Hamburg SV until the end of the season. The 20-year-old, whose contract runs to 2027, joins the Bundesliga newcomers on loan until the summer.
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Jarell Quansah and Alejandro Grimaldo speak to Werkself-TV following Bayer 04's 4-1 defeat to VfB Stuttgart on Bundesliga Matchday 16...
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