The team under head coach Sven Hübscher opened the cup campaign with a 1-0 win at the South West Regional League side TSV Schott Mainz. The only goal of the game was scored by Emrehan Gedikli (72’).
The draw for the last 16 matches included 14 professional teams and two amateur sides. The teams in the amateur pot are from clubs whose first teams are not in the Bundesliga or the second division – this year they are the youth teams from FC Carl Zeiss Jena and SV Wehen Wiesbaden.
As the semi-finals and the final in the 2019/20 season fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic as did the matches from the Round of 16 last term, VfB Stuttgart can continue to be called the current U19 Cup winners – even though their triumph dates back to the summer of 2019..
The VfB U19s beat Werder Bremen 2-1 in the first round of the youth cup. The team under head coach Nico Willig are currently third in the South/Southwest Youth Bundesliga with nine points from four games.
Round of 16 ties:
FC Carl Zeiss Jena vs Borussia Dortmund
SV Wehen Wiesbaden vs SC Freiburg
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs RB Leipzig
FC Nürnberg vs Hertha BSC
Hannover 96 vs FC Hansa Rostock
Bayer 04 vs VfB Stuttgart
Fortuna Düsseldorf vs Dynamo Dresden
TSG Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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