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Werkself review #B04ARS: ‘Played really well against a top opponent’
In the 1-1 draw against FC Arsenal, the Werkself had one of the favourites for the Champions League title on the brink of defeat thanks to a combative and disciplined team performance, but conceded an equaliser late on. Nevertheless, the players and media were extremely positive about the Bayer 04 performance after the game and coach Kasper Hjulmand also drew "a lot of hope" for the second leg in London from his team's display. The Werkself review.
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TV highlights of the 1-1 draw against Arsenal
Werkself TV shows highlights of the 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league...
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Battling Werkself impress in 1-1 draw with Arsenal
Bayer 04 were on the brink of victory against Arsenal in the first leg of the Round of 16 tie in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, but conceded a late goal to make the final score 1-1. After an even first half, Robert Andrich gave Leverkusen the lead with a header on 46 minutes. The Werkself then defended with discipline and gave little away until just before the end when the Gunners equalised with Kai Havertz converting a penalty (89').
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Matchday news #B04ARS: Double reunion in Round of 16 first leg against flawless Gunners
Arsenal, one of the favourites in the UCL, visit the BayArena for the first leg in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16. Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie, two long-serving Bayer 04 players, are set to return to the BayArena for the first time since leaving the club. As part of the match against the Gunners, fans can look forward to exciting Sound of Dreams festival activities at the stadium. Club members can also secure another SoD Unplugged ticket for a chance to win a special prize. Today’s matchday news.
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Hjulmand ahead of #B04ARS: Full of anticipation for ‘one of the most difficult challenges’
A Champions League showdown at the BayArena awaits. On Wednesday night, 11 March (kick-off: 18:45 CET), the Werkself face Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Ahead of the clash with the Premier League leaders, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the Gunners' exceptional strength at set-pieces, a returning striker and "believing in yourself". Forward Christian Kofane also spoke about the approach to the Round of 16 tie and congratulated his personal idol - whose previous success also motivates him for forthcoming challenges.
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'Match them as equals when it's 11 vs. 11': Women out for revenge at Wolfsburg for reverse fixture defeat
The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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February Goal of the Month: Derby stunner from Sofie Zdebel nominated
Sofie Zdebel is up for the Goal of the Month award for February on ARD-Sportschau. Fans have until 21 March (19:00 CET) to vote for the Germany U23 international's volley to make it 2-0 in the Bayer 04 Women's derby against FC Köln (2-1).
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Feed manufacturer PerNaturam is new Bayer 04 Women’s team partner
Bayer 04 Leverkusen are further expanding their partner network: The feed manufacturer PerNaturam is an official sponsor of the Bayer 04 Womens team. The partnership opens up a wide range of opportunities for the company to position its brand in the Bundesliga environment.
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Junior talent day in spring: Open trials on 12 April
Do you dream of wearing the Bayer cross on your chest? To play in black and red like your role models Loreen Bender, Cornelia Kramer, Kristin Kögel and co. from the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga? Then take your chance now! Our female youth teams are once again on the lookout for new talent. That's why Bayer 04 are organising a talent day on 12 April 2026 for the first time this year with trials for female juniors.
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Bayer 04 Women: First international goal for Carlotta Wamser
Carlotta Wamser provided the Leverkusen highlight in the international break with her first goal for Germany. There were also reasons to celebrate for several other international players in recent days. Bayer04.de provides an overview of the women's international fixtures.
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Junior talent day in spring: Open trials on 12 April
Do you dream of wearing the Bayer cross on your chest? To play in black and red like your role models Loreen Bender, Cornelia Kramer, Kristin Kögel and co. from the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga? Then take your chance now! Our female youth teams are once again on the lookout for new talent. That's why Bayer 04 are organising a talent day on 12 April 2026 for the first time this year with trials for female juniors.
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U19 forward Márton Szép joins Hungarian league leaders ETO FC
Márton Szép from the Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19 team is moving back to his home country with immediate effect to join ETO FC, the current leaders of the top flight in Hungary.
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3-2 at Villarreal - U19s lose in the last 32 of the Youth League
The Bayer 04 U19s have bowed out of the UEFA Youth League following a thrilling knockout game. In the round of 32 at Villarreal, Emmanuel Chigozie Owen (11) and Ivan Massek (18) turned an early deficit into a 2-1 half-time lead. However, the Spaniards struck back in the second half to make the final score 3-2, which earned them a place in the round of 16 and brought the Werkself's European campaign to an end.
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Ken Izekor joins Eintracht Braunschweig on loan
Bayer 04 have agreed a loan move for U19s striker Ken Izekor to join Bundesliga 2 club Eintracht Braunschweig on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season.
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Restructure for U16 to U19 youth teams: Bayer 04 appoint Gerard Roca as Head of Coaching/Methodology
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed the Spaniard Gerard Roca as Head of Coaching/Methodology for the U16 to U19 youth teams. The 31-year-old most recently worked as coordinator of the Catalan national football teams and was previously instrumental in the successful youth development at the Spanish club CF Damm.
Show moreMembership
Hradecky's successor: Mark Flekken new patron of Lions Club
Just in time for its 30th anniversary, the Lions Club is getting a new patron: Bayer 04 goalkeeper Mark Flekken is taking over the role from Lukas Hradecky, who showed great commitment and passion for the youngest Werkself fans in recent years. The Dutchman, who is himself the father of two daughters, will accompany Lions Club events and activities and be a role model for the children with his warm and positive manner.
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Members meeting with Fernando Carro: ‘We do everything for our fans'
There was a very special event for 50 of the over 70,000 Bayer 04 Club members on the afternoon of the Bayer 04 season launch event: At the press conference room at the BayArena, CEO Fernando Carro fielded lots and somewhat different questions from the fans. The Spaniard, under whose leadership since 2018 the number of members at Bayer 04 has almost tripled, shared his personal insight into the most important decision of his life and his way of managing staff.
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Season opener: Friendly against Pisa at the BayArena
The Werkself will welcome Serie A newcomers Pisa SC to the BayArena for a friendly on Tuesday, 5 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST / stadium opens: 15:00) as part of the season opener celebrations. Bayer 04 will offer fans a lively and varied supporting programme on the stadium concourse. Ahead of kick-off, both the men's and women's senior squads will be introduced on the pitch.
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Bayer 04's service department reorganised
The 2023/24 double-winning season set new standards. Bayer 04 faced a number of challenges not only in sporting terms, but also operationally due to the increased number of enquiries. Unfortunately, the service provided was not always exemplary. In the meantime, however, the club has gone through a restructuring process. In recent months, not only have many organisational matters been initiated, but technical components have also been further developed - with a clear goal: to provide fast, competent and comprehensive help and information. Personal service has always been important to Bayer 04. And it has now been significantly optimised.
Show moreFans
'Rudi invites you': Successful premiere with Castro and Kießling
High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
Show moreFebruary Goal of the Month: Derby stunner from Sofie Zdebel nominated
Sofie Zdebel is up for the Goal of the Month award for February on ARD-Sportschau. Fans have until 21 March (19:00 CET) to vote for the Germany U23 international's volley to make it 2-0 in the Bayer 04 Women's derby against FC Köln (2-1).
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Tickets for the home game against Augsburg on family matchday
The Werkself welcome FC Augsburg to the BayArena on Bundesliga matchday 30 in the 2025/26 season. The match on Saturday, 18 April kicks off at 15:30 CEST. Bayer 04 have organised a family matchday with exclusive offers for parents and children. Information on ticket sales.
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Tickets for the home game against VfL Wolfsburg
The Werkself host VfL Wolfsburg at the BayArena on matchday 28 in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on Saturday, 4 April, with the kick-off at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
Show moreeSports
#B04eSports: Leverkusen in quarter-finals after beating HSV
The #B04 eSports team made a successful start to the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship finals. Marc and Sean Landwehr defeated the hosts of the event, Hamburger SV, in the Round of 16. The quarter-final in the German club championship will be played on Sunday, 8 March at 14:00 CET against SC Freiburg, who finished top of the table in the league phase.
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#B04eSports: Give everything in biggest club event on the German eSports scene
For the third time in a row, the Leverkusen eSports players have made it through to the final round of the VBL Club Championship. From 7 to 8 March, they will compete for the German Club Championship at XPERION in Hamburg. At the start of the final round, they face Hamburger SV in the Round of 16. The match starts at 19:30 CET on Saturday, 7 March and will be broadcast live on the VBL Twitch channel. The eSports preview.
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#B04eSports: Leverkusen through to third straight VBL CC final after play-off win
Job done: the Bayer 04 eSports team defeated SV Darmstadt 98 in the play-offs to secure their consecutive participation in the VBL Club Championship final. The journey continues now for Leverkusen on Saturday 7 March (from 17:00 CET) with a last-16 encounter at Hamburger SV.
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#B04eSports: Bayer 04 miss out on offline round and top eight
A bitter end to the fifth showdown of the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship as the #B04eSports team failed to take any points in the three remaining matches of the preliminary online round of the fifth and final showdown, missing out on the offline round. They can no longer take points in the overall table. Bayer 04 slipped out on the top eight, so direct participation in the final event for the German Club Championship is no longer possible, with Bayer 04 having to contest the play-offs.
Show moreSustainability
DFL publishes first report on sustainability in German professional football
The DFL (German Football League) has published its first report on sustainability in German professional football. The report highlights substantial developments in the league and at all 36 clubs in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in recent years. Bayer 04 also played a part in the creation of the report and were involved in compiling the content.
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Sustainability in 2025: Black and Red commitment to people and the environment in Leverkusen and around the world
Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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Werkself bring festive cheer to Leverkusen hospital
The Werkself rang in the Black and Red festive season with an emotional visit to Klinikum Leverkusen. Kristin Kögel, Melissa Friedrich and Louisa Remien from the Bayer 04 Women's team and Jonas Hofmann, Janis Blaswich and Niklas Lomb from the first team visited the young patients on the children's ward and, for the first time, on the ‘Zeitinsel’ children's palliative care unit. They brought a host of lovingly wrapped presents ensuring a big surprise for young and old alike.
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Youth player parents donate nearly €3,500 to charity
This year - for the third time - the parents of the Bayer 04 youth players from the U8 to U15 age groups once again took part in the WDR Christmas Miracle. Under the motto "Goals against hunger in the world - parents in goal!", they organised their own fundraising campaign to once again actively support the important WDR campaign. The sum of €3,420 was handed over at the Glashaus in Essen in the middle of the week during the live programme.
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Bayer 04 Volunteering Award 2025 goes to TuS Roland Bürrig and SV Oppum
During half-time in the Werkself home match against 1. FC Köln, Bayer 04 Sportförderung gGmbH awarded the 19th Volunteering Award for outstanding commitment to football in Leverkusen and the surrounding region. The prize money of €15,000 was shared this year by TuS Roland Bürrig 1887 e.V. and SV Oppum 1910 e.V. Bayer 04 would like to thank both clubs and all volunteers in the region for their great commitment.
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Feed manufacturer PerNaturam is new Bayer 04 Women’s team partner
Bayer 04 Leverkusen are further expanding their partner network: The feed manufacturer PerNaturam is an official sponsor of the Bayer 04 Womens team. The partnership opens up a wide range of opportunities for the company to position its brand in the Bundesliga environment.
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SAB-P GmbH become Bayer 04’s first inclusion partner
SAB-P GmbH is to become Bayer 04 Leverkusen's first official inclusion partner. The company, which has previously been involved in the club's Business Club, is underlining its social commitment to inclusion with an agreement that runs until 31 May 2027. Among other things, it will be the shirt sponsor of the Inclusion Team from the 2026/27 season onwards.
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Digital platform Crown Coins becomes new partner in Bayer 04 Sponsors Club
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has gained a new partner in digital gaming platform Crown Coins, which joins the Bundesliga runners-up's Sponsors Club with immediate effect. The one-and-a-half-year contract runs until 30 June 2027.
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Bayer 04 and transport provider wupsi expand long-standing partnership
The long-standing successful collaboration between Bayer 04 and the transport service provider wupsi GmbH has been expanded: From January 2026, 100 wupsi bikes with Bayer 04 branding will be available for hire throughout the city of Leverkusen. They will complement the many existing offers and services that provide key support, especially for fans travelling to and from home matches at the BayArena.
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Andrich, Flekken and Co. at the BarmeniaGothaer Christmas market
On Tuesday evening, Bayer 04's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer and its employees welcomed some very special visitors to the company's Christmas market at its headquarters in Wuppertal: Werkself players Robert Andrich, Mark Flekken, Loïc Badé, Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman spent lots of time with Bayer 04 fans of all ages in the early evening – and also helped to serve drinks such as Glühwein (mulled wine) and delicious food.
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2024/25 season review, part I: High expectations of invincible double winners
With the clash at Mainz 05 on the 34th and final matchday of the 2024/25 Bundesliga, another eventful season came to an end. The Werkself finished as runners-up in second place and can be proud of the joint third-best points tally in the club's history. Bayer04.de takes a look back - firstly at the period from the summer until the end of the year, in which the Werkself had to deal with high expectations and fluctuated between impressive performances, squandered leads and absolute top form.
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Happy 75th birthday, Wolfgang Holzhäuser
He helped shape Bayer 04 for almost two decades. First from 1998 to 2004 as the commercial managing director, then from 2013 as the spokesperson for the board and finally from 2017 as a member of the shareholders committee. Wolfgang Holzhäuser today celebrates his 75th birthday.
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30 years ago: Bernd Schuster's hat-trick for all time
Bernd Schuster scored the Goal of the Month three times in 1994. And in the vote for the Goal of the Year he took the first three places. Nobody else has achieved that before or after him. Today Bernd Schuster celebrates his 65th birthday. We take the occasion to not only look back at his wonder goals but also review his special story at Bayer 04.
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No tradition since 1904 – Bayer 04 release 120th anniversary kit
The German double winners’ special-edition jersey to mark the club’s 120th anniversary is reminiscent of the first kit worn by players back in the 1907/08 season. The jersey, which the Werkself will wear for the Bundesliga home game against Holstein Kiel on Saturday, 5 October and which has been met with enthusiasm by the players, has numerous special features relating to the club's history, including an NFC chip that leads to exclusive content when scanned with a smartphone.
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120 years of Bayer 04 Leverkusen: an eventful history
The 2023/24 season was a historic one in many respects for Bayer 04. The Werkself were crowned champions for the first time in their history, lifted the DFB Pokal for the second time after 1993, and reached a European final for the third time after the UEFA Cup triumph of 1988 and 2002 Champions League runners-up finish. The fact all these events came in the year the club celebrates its 120th birthday makes the milestone year even more special. So, time for a look back on the beginnings of the gymnastics club that soon became one of Europe’s biggest football clubs.
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International Day of Persons with Disabilities - BayArena lights up purple
The United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is celebrated worldwide on 3 December. Together with Bayer AG, Bayer 04 is once again setting an example for diversity and inclusion by lighting up the BayArena in purple in the evening.
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Closer to the home end: Home bench at the BayArena towards North Stand
For the Bundesliga 2025/26 opener against TSG Hoffenheim at the BayArena on Saturday, Erik ten Hag, his coaches, staff and substitutes will be even closer to the home end. From now, the Bayer 04 team will be nearer to the North Stand after coming on.
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Moderate price revision in public catering at the BayArena
Bayer 04 and catering partner Bayer Gastronomie have revised the public catering offer at the BayArena. A moderate price revision has become unavoidable due to increased raw material, energy and staff costs. Beer will now cost €5.10 (plus 20 cents) and Bratwurst €4.40 (plus 10 cents).
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For the third time in four years: ‘Pitch of the Year’ award goes to Bayer 04
Another award for the Bayer 04 ground staff: after 2021/22 and 2022/23, the pitch in the BayArena has once again been named ‘Pitch of the Year’ in the Bundesliga in 2024/25. VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern München follow in second and third place this year.
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