The two Leverkusen midfielders have been a regular feature of coach Kathrin Peter's squad in recent months. Bender has made three appearances for the U20 team to date, Zdebel seven. Bender previously scored five goals in seven games for the U19s, while Zdebel netted twice in 13 U19 outings.
Germany are in Group D of the tournament, where they first face Venezuela on Sunday 1 September (kick-off 22:00 CEST). Next up are Nigeria on Thursday 5 September (00:00 CEST), before the final group match against South Korea on Saturday 7 September (22:00 CEST). Bender and Zdebel will therefore miss at least the Werkself's opening Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga game at SC Freiburg on Saturday 31 August (14:00 CEST) and the DFB Cup second round (7/8 September).
The round of 16 tie would be played on 12 or 13 September, with the quarter-finals on 15 and 16 September. The semi-finals are scheduled for the 18/19 September, followed by the third place playoff on 21 September and the final on Sunday 22 September (23:00 CEST).
Earlier this summer, a quintet of Bayer 04 Women players were involved in the U19 EURO with Germany, but goalkeeper Anne Moll, captain Paulina Bartz, Delice Boboy, Estrella Merino Gonzalez and Julia Mickenhagen failed to progress to the semi-finals after three group games. Mickenhagen and Merino Gonzalez, along with seven other players, are also on standby for the U-20 World Cup.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
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The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 6-0 win against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 on the 10th matchday of the Bundesliga 2025/26...
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