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
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
