The group stage (24 June) and the Round of 16 and quarter-finals (25 June) for 'DETO' were today (Sunday) followed by the semi-finals. And the clashes with Mohammed 'MOAUBA' Harkous developed into a spectacular showdown on the consoles. The Leverkusen player won the first leg against the reigning world champion 3-1 but lost the second meeting by the same scoreline.
So it went down to a decider. And in this encounter, 'DETO' won with a golden goal on 29 minutes thanks to a strike from the virtual Kevin Volland to go through to the overall final. "Getting through to the final pleases me for the whole club. You can see what it means to the members of staff," said the #B04eSports player after the semi-final.
The oldest of all four semi-finalists faced Augsburg's 'YANNIC0109' in the online final. The man from Augsburg somewhat surprisingly defeated Dylan 'DULLENMIKE' Neuhausen (VfL Wolfsburg) in the last four. 'DETO' and the FCA player completed the first leg on PS4. The Augsburg player won this 2-1, leaving the #B04eSports player under pressure to perform on the unfamiliar Xbox One console.
And it initially looked good for the former world champion. He took the lead after half an hour to level the overall result. However, 'YANNIC0109' then hit back late on to secure the title of champion of Germany 2020. "I'm disappointed with the way I approached the final," said a disappointed 'DETO' initially but then declared: "It's been an impressive season for Fabi (Leverkusen's Xbox player Fabian 'B04_DUBZJE' de Cae, ed.) and me. I'd like to thank the whole team at Bayer 04 and my fans for their support."
The club is also happy with the achievement. "I'm incredibly proud of the whole team: Kai, Fabi and everybody in the background. We worked hard for the great finish in the Club Championship and in the Grand Final. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for the big target of the overall victory," said Florian Dederichs, head of internationalisation and eSports at Bayer 04, who went on to promise: "We'll be back again next year!"
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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