The Kölner Stadt Anzeiger provides a eulogy to Julian Brandt under the headline 'The Werkself on song': "The opener was the individual achievement of a great footballer. Julian Brandt won the ball 40 yards from goal and weaved his way through the Berlin defence before hitting the ball into the back of the net with the outside of his foot."
The Kölnische Rundschau succinctly sums up the Cup tie: 'Class beats passion' and reports: "The game quickly sorted itself out. Leverkusen dominated with a performance that reflected their Bundesliga quality and individual ability. Union tried to counter this class with passion and were well organised... A formidable goalkeeper helped the visitors keep a clean sheet for the time being. It took a brilliant individual move to break down the defence and beat the last man. Julian Brandt left the Berliners standing like slalom poles."
The Bild Zeitung title reads 'Thanks to Brandt: Leverkusen grow ever more impressive' and reports: "When Brandt plays then the opposition box is where the action is."
The Cologne-based Express focuses attention on next Saturday's derby against FC Köln: "Bayer get ready for Köln: Leverkusen blow Union Berlin away, clocking up nine goals in three days."
The verdict of the Rheinische Post: "Bayer 04 have reached the last sixteen of the Cup. In the 4-1 win against second division Union Berlin, the team coached by Heiko Herrlich only needed one impressive half...Bayer sporting director Rudi Völler praised the Berliners. 'They're a very, very good team. They'll go up,' said the 1990 World Cup winner."
The Berlin media also complimented Union for the courageous performance. "The warm-down 25 minutes after the final whistle saw the team enthusiastically cheered on by the travelling support. The 3,000 plus Berlin fans sang out in the almost empty stadium that Union would play in Europe one day. In the end, Union went down with flags flying," writes the Tagesspiegel.
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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