
Monday and Tuesday involved the obligatory performance tests at the BayArena; the players were tested on the speed court, at the Werkstatt and in the stadium for speed, balance and the capacity of their cardiovascular systems. The first full training session took place on Wednesday evening with familiar and eleven new faces. With the exception of Pauline Wimmer, who successfully underwent the second of two operations on her torn cruciate on Wednesday, and Nicole Banecki, who was absent through illness, Feifel had all his players available for the opening session.
The first challenge comes on Sunday morning, 9 August: In an internal friendly against the Bayer 04 Women's second team, Feifel is looking to get a first impression of his team after the summer break. A week later (16 August), the Werkself Women have another friendly against relegated FC Köln. The Feifel group then have a one-week training camp in the Westerwald from 17 to 23 August before a final friendly ahead of the opening league fixture (Sunday, 6 September, 14.00 CET at SC Freiburg). A visit to the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven is on the cards. All friendlies are played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photos from first training session:










Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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Carles Martìnez is raring to go. The 42-year-old speaks in his first interview in Leverkusen about the club's development to date and how he wants to build on it. He describes his previous work in France, Kuwait, Qatar and his native Barcelona, his experience in developing young players, and the key steps between now and the start of pre-season training.
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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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