The last game in Group B was very much like a final. Hosts, and European champions, Portugal played Switzerland who were three points ahead but with a worse goal difference after winning all nine of their previous matches. However, Admir Mehmedi, who played the full 90 minutes, and his fellow countrymen ended up on the losing side for the first time in a 2-0 defeat. As runners-up, Switzerland now take part in the play-offs as do Greece. The team coached by Michael Skibbe registered a comfortable 4-0 win against bottom-of-the-table Gibraltar. Panos Retsos, who came on as a substitute against Cyprus, did not play this time. The draw for the play-offs will be held on 17 October.
It was a bad night for Chile who needed to get a result in the final South American World Cup qualifier against Brazil. That did not happen with La Roja losing 3-0 – and that meant the Copa América winners failed to book a place in Russia as they finished sixth in the group. Chile fielded Charles Aránguiz, although the midfielder had suffered a calf injury in the game at Schalke ten days ago. The Werkself pro was substituted three minutes after the restart with the score at 0-0. He watched the demise unfold from the bench.
Joel Pohjanpalo and Julian Baumgartlinger, with Finland and Austria respectively, when no longer in a position to qualify for the World Cup But the group matches ended on a high for the duo. 'Baumi' Captained Austria to a 1-0 victory in Moldova, 'Danger' Secured a point for the Scandinavians with his late leveller in the 2-2 draw with Turkey.“ That was his sixth goal in 27 internationals.
The Germany U21 team, including captain Jonathan Tah and left-back Benny Henrichs, suffered a defeat in a European Championship qualifier for the first time in seven years. The European champions took the lead through Cedric Teuchert (FC Nürnberg) but ended up losing 3-1 in Norway after a run of 17 games unbeaten.
The Germany U17 team at the World Cup in India had an even worse time of it. After winning the opener against Costa Rica 2-1, the second game for the Germany youngsters, with Bayer 04 central defender Jan Boller playing one half and goalkeeper Marian Prinz on the bench, was a disaster with a 4-0 defeat against Iran. The team under coach Christian Wück now have to perform in the third match against Guinea on Friday (13.30 CET).
Kai Havertz, Sam Schreck and Atakan Akkaynak all started for the Germany U19s in the first qualifying round for the European Championships in Poland with a 2-0 win against the hosts. None of the Bayer 04 rising stars found the back of the net this time. The previous two matches, a 5-1 victory against Belarus and a 7-1 win against Northern Ireland, saw Havertz score 5 goals with one apiece for Schreck and Akkaynak.
Assistant coach Remzi Kahraman is leaving the Bayer 04 Women’s team with immediate effect to take up a new challenge abroad. The club has agreed to the 31-year-old’s request to leave, although his contract was originally due to run until 2027. A decision on his successor will be announced shortly.
Show more
At the U19 European Championship in Wales, the Germany U19 national team lost their third and final group match 4-0 to Spain. Several regulars, including Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan to SV Elversberg), who had combined for four goals and assists in the two previous victories, did not feature,. Germany had already secured their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.
Show more
The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
Show more
At the end of June, Bayer 04 became the first team in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga to begin their pre-season preparations. As well as training sessions at the Kurtekotten facility, the players under coach Roberto Pätzold completed the customary series of performance diagnostics. Werkself-TV presents exclusive insights and player interviews from the first few days after the summer break.
Show more
