Perhaps one or two may have noticed when driving by. After the BayArena, the town hall, the Bayer Erholunghaus and Schloss Morsbroich started flying the flag for Bayer 04 this week, another Leverkusen landmark is adorned in club colours. This afternoon, a huge black and red banner was lowered down the water tower – as support and motivation for Saturday's game.
There was a unique opportunity for the employees of the Bayer 04 main sponsor: Honorary captain Ulf Kirsten grabbed the DFB Cup of 93 and set off by car in the direction of the Barmenia HQ in Wuppertal. There he gave the members of staff the chance to have a photo taken with the cup. To be precise, the trophy was a lifelike replica. The real trophy is handed to the winners of the tournament each year. The burnished trophy is made of sterling silver and weighs over six kilogrammes and has a material value of €35,000 – the actual value is much higher.
What were current Werkself players doing on 12 June 1993? We asked Karim Bellarabi Kevin Volland and other teammates – about whether they could actually remember anything of that historic night when they were children or had just been born. The answers can be seen on the '19:04 – Die Show', broadcast at 19.04 CET on YouTube and Facebook. This addition will also feature one of our cup winners of 1993 – this time it's Heiko Herrlich. Furthermore, in part three of the 'Road to #B04RLIN, we look back at the Round of 16 tie against VfB Stuttgart, go over to the water tower in Leverkusen and show photos from our fans from previous cup finals there are a few gems amongst them!
He has already grabbed the record as the youngest ever Bundesliga goalscorer this season – if he plays in the DFB Cup final, Florian Wirtz, at the age of 17, two months and one day, would also be the youngest player ever to appear in the DFB Cup final. The current record holder is Julian Draxler (17 years, eight months, one day) who was the youngest player to date in this competition when he played in the 2011 final for Schalke 04. Wirtz' U17 national coach Christian Wück places great store on the Bayer 04 youngster as he revealed on dfb.de: "Here at the DFB, we've told him he's on the right path to become a regular first choice in the Bundesliga or even later on play for the U21s or the national team but that is logically a bit further down the road."
In this hectic cup week, this date definitely not be forgotten: Today (1 July) is the 116th birthday of Bayer 04. It all started with a letter when two members of staff Wilhelm Hausschild and August Kuhlmann asked for support to set up a works gymnastics club in February 1903. On 1 July 1904, the ‘Turn- und Spielverein der Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedrich Bayer & Co. in Leverkusen’, TuS 04 for short, was born. Here's to many more black and red years!
"The players of Bayer 04 and FC Bayern München will not appear in public before or after the game to celebrate with fans or sign autographs," announced the German Football Association (DFB) on its website and appealed to the fans: "We therefore advise and ask all fans not to travel to Berlin." The DFB also urgently advises against gathering in and around the Olympic Stadium and also asked fans to avoid meeting at kiosks, pubs and restaurants in the immediate area of the stadium. Bayer 04 and the City of Leverkusen have already decided there will be no celebrations in Leverkusen due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 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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