A total of 16 teams took part in this year's football tournament, including the inclusion teams from Bayer 04, TSV 1860 Munich and other well-known clubs. The ‘Simply Football’ Cup is organised every year by the works club - with the active support of many of the players' parents. Once again, the focus was on the participants having fun. Beaming faces could be seen everywhere in the Ostermann Arena. For six hours, the participants played against each other in front of an impressive and cheerful crowd. In addition to the fun had by the participants, the aim of the ‘Simply Football’ programme is the long-term participation of people with disabilities in club football and inclusion in organised sport.
Another highlight for many participants and spectators was the visit from Melissa Friedrich and Ida Daedelow. After a short discussion, the two Bayer 04 Women players signed numerous autographs and took time for lots of photos with their fans. "It's just nice to see that everyone is having fun. The result doesn't matter to the participants and they enjoy the moment," said centre-back Friedrich, summing up her impressions. Daedelow, 17, came to a similar conclusion: "The participants had a great day and a lot of fun. It's impressive how welcoming the people are. I would come here again and again and I think that everyone learnt a lot from each other." Brian the Lion also made an appearance at the autograph session and fulfilled the wishes of those in attendance.
Away from the pitch, there was also a shot power test and a scavenger hunt, where the participants enthusiastically and curiously tried to solve little puzzles. The proceeds from the sale of food and drinks throughout the event went to the Bayer 04 inclusion team.
The fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 starts for the Leverkusen eSports team today, Thursday 22 January (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel and on the Bayer 04 app from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Reds will once again compete with six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round in Berlin on 2 February at the fourth showdown. The lowdown on our next three opponents in the online preliminary round.
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The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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A great honour for Bayer 04 Women's German international: as part of the 2025 Sports Awards, Carlotta Wamser entered her name into the City of Leverkusen's Golden Book. On Tuesday, she looked back on a special year in a talk in the Morsbroich Castle hall of mirrors.
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It was a disappointing night in Athens: The Werkself lost 2-0 away to Olympiacos on Matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. In a match that was intense and fiery from the outset, the high-pressing home side made the better start and took the lead through Costinha on two minutes. Although the Werkself had a number of chances to equalise, the clinical Greek side increased the lead to 2-0 shortly before half-time (45+1’). In the second half, Leverkusen once again gave their all and showed total commitment but, despite their best efforts, the Black and Reds were unable to break down the Olympiacos defence on the night.
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