The team bus set off early in the morning at 07:30 CEST from the BayArena with 27 women players on board. The destination was Rieden situated 500 kilometres away in one of the most beautiful areas of Bavarian countryside. The Werkself are staying at the Hotel Gut Matheshof this week to work on the key part of the pre-season preparations.
With three weeks to go before the start of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with the opening match away to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, the team are looking to complete the necessary fine tuning at the training camp. There are six training sessions on the pitch with the addition of two sessions on strength and regeneration work. On Sunday afternoon at 17:00 CEST there was the first ten minute walk from the hotel to the training ground of SV Vilshofen.
There is a real test as the sporting highlight of the training camp on Friday, 22 August (14:00 CEST, Stadion Grüne Au, Hof, live stream on Werkself TV and on the Bayer 04): The Werkself play VfL Wolfsburg in the first pre-season friendly against a rival team in the league.
Youth players also have the chance to show what they can do in Rieden: Angelie Martens, Amelie Sosnik, Jana Lindner and Jolina Heltemes are with the squad in Rieden for their first valuable day-to-day experiences with the senior squad. The following players were unable to travel: Selina Ostermeier and Amy Wrigge (both with muscle injuries), Caroline Kehrer (rehab training after knee injury) plus long-term absentee Shen Menglu (torn cruciate).
Away from the pitch, the idyllic surroundings provide an ideal setting for focused preparation. The Hotel Gut Matheshof is in the countryside surrounded by woods and meadows between Regensburg (55 kilometres) and Nuremberg (85 kilometres). For the Bayer 04 Women these are the best conditions to prepare for the new season in peace and calm.
After the return to Leverkusen on Saturday afternoon there will be the two final weeks of training ahead of the start of the Bundesliga campaign. The last game in preparation for matchday one is a friendly against Belgian club Standard Liège on Saturday, 30 August (16:00 CEST, 3 x 45 minutes, Kurtekotten). The new season starts a week later on Saturday, 6 September (17:45 CEST, live on ARD, MagentaSport and DAZN) with the official opening fixture away to the champions of Germany Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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“Say hello to the Werkself!” – With this request, Loïc Bade gathers everybody in front of his GoPro: Including team-mates like Ibrahim Maza, Lucas Vázquez, Aleix Garcia and Ernest Poku, or Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro, head coach Carles Martínez, or even the reception team at the Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land. In between, there are glimpses of the pool area and the Werkself’s team quarters. Enjoy!
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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