The #B04eSports players reward for an impressive season is a place in the VBL finals. After last season (position 18, 73 points) new signing Kai 'Deto' Wollin and Fabian 'B04_DUBZJE' da Cae have moved up 15 places and then the season on 110 points in third place. That means the #B04eSports players have qualified for the Grand Final to be played at 'Dock.One' in Cologne on 28 and 29 March.
The format is as follows: The first six teams (6 players per console) in the VBL automatically qualify for the final. Positions 7 to 16 (10 players per console) of the VBL and a total of 108 qualifiers from the open FIFA 20 tournament (54 players per console) can now qualify for 12 places in the Grand Final in the forthcoming play-offs. The winner of the final can look forward to the title of Champion of Germany and prize-money to the value of €45,000.
Florian Dederichs, head of internationalisation & eSports at Bayer 04, is delighted with the achievement of the #B04eSports players: "The lads have had a great season. We have improved enormously in comparison to last season and the reward is qualifying for the Grand Final. We congratulate Werder Bremen on winning the Germany Championships once again." And the #B04eSports players are satisfied with their displays. "My one-on-one performances this season were much more impressive than last season," said a happy ‘B04_DUBZJE’. ‘Deto’ added: "We're happy we have improved so much and been able to finish in a great third place. That makes us want more!"
The final VBL match of the season on Wednesday night against Eintracht Frankfurt ended 4-4. First game for the third-placed Black and Reds was played by Kai 'Deto' Wollin on the PS4 against his Frankfurt opponents Andreas 'Andy' Gube. 'Deto' made the better start and took the lead through Kevin Volland on 13 minutes with Bas Dost, controlled by 'Andy', equalising on 76 minutes. There were no more goals and both players secured the first point of the night.
In the second game, ‘B04_DUBZJE’ de Cae again showed what he could do on the XBOX. Against Maik 'Sn0wGoogles' Kubitzki, the #B04eSports player did not give anything away and ended up on top with a 3-0 victory with a goal from Kevin Volland and a brace from Paulinho. "If you look at the 90 minutes then it was a deserved victory. My opponent did have the chance of scoring one or two goals but was then too hasty finishing," said 'B04_DUBZJE' after the game.
The final two-on-two clash ended in a 3-1 defeat for the #B04eSports players with Kai Havertz controlled by ‘B04-DUBZJE’ netting the consolation goal. 'Deto' complained about the outcome of the match at the end of the game: "Fabi and I communicated well, got into the game and created some dangerous situations. Then we either made the wrong decision or had no luck in the typical 50/50 situations. Overall, we were very unlucky to lose the game."
The #B04eSports players are back in action on Saturday albeit in a different tournament: In a two-day qualifying tournament, was all about taking part in the FUT Champions Cup Stage V, which is to be played from 3 to 5 April.
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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