Five Leverkusen players have been called up to the Germany U23 squad for the second set of international fixtures. In addition to Kristin Kögel and Katharina Piljic, who were already away with the new junior team in October, Germany coach Kathrin Peter has included the former U20 internationals Sofie Zdebel and Loreen Bender plus central defender Selina Ostermeier in her squad of 23. After talking to Bayer 04, Bender will not take up the invitation due to illness but her teammate Julia Mickenhagen is in the squad.
The as yet unbeaten Germany U23 side are next set to play Spain in Unterhaching. Tickets for the match are available at the DFB ticket portal. That is followed four days later by an away game against Belgium in Tubize. In October, the team made a successful start with a 3-0 win against France and a 2-2 draw in Italy.
The Werkself are also represented in the Germany U19 squad by two players: Estrella Merino Gonzalez and Delice Boboy, who made their first starts in the 1-0 win in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie against Turbine Potsdam, are in the squad of 21 for a four nation tournament at the Sportschule Wedau. The games against Kosovo, Greece and Denmark in Group 1 mark the start of the Euro qualifiers. The tournament will be played in Romania in the summer.
Two Bayer 04 teammates will face each other in Murcia in Spain: Cornelia Kramer with Denmark will meet Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir in a friendly against Iceland. The 21-year-old Kramer stood out in her debut for the senior team at the end of October. Two minutes after coming on as a substitute in the game against the Netherlands, the striker scored on 87 minutes to make it 2-1. Before the clash with Kramer, Vilhjalmsdottir is set to play in a friendly against Canada at the same venue. Emilie Bragstad and Julie Jorde are away with the Norway U23 team. The Leverkusen duo play the Netherlands in a friendly.
Overview of call-ups:
Cornelia Kramer (Denmark)
2/12: Denmark vs Iceland (Friendly)
Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir (Iceland)
29/11: Canada vs Iceland (Friendly)
2/12: Denmark vs Iceland (Friendly)
Emilie Bragstad, Julie Jorde (Norway U23)
2/12: Netherlands vs Norway (Friendly)
Kristin Kögel, Julia Mickenhagen, Selina Ostermeier, Katharina Piljic, Sofie Zdebel (Germany U23)
28/11: Germany vs Spain (Friendly)
2/12: Belgium vs Germany (Friendly)
Delice Boboy, Estrella Merino Gonzalez (Germany U19)
27/11: Germany vs Kosovo (Euro qualifier)
30/11: Germany vs Greece (Euro qualifier)
3/12: Denmark vs Germany (Euro qualifier)
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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