Bayer Leverkusen played their first European match 40 years ago. To mark the anniversary, the club now gets its first dedicated kit for international matches, with several nods to its history in Europe.
Around 300 fans travel to Sweden in September 1986. Some by car, a few even hitchhiking, roughly 60 of them after a bus journey of around 40 hours. Their destination: Kalmar, a port city in the southeast of the country.
On September 17, Bayer Leverkusen play their first-ever European match there. Christian Schreier scores the club's first two goals in international competition against Kalmar FF, becoming the club's first-ever scorer on the international stage. After 90 minutes, it's 4-1 to the Werkself.
40 years later, Bayer 04 make their European history the subject of a dedicated kit.
Together with New Balance, Bayer Leverkusen have unveiled their first-ever dedicated European kit. In the 2026/27 season, the Werkself will wear it for their Europa League matches. The campaign is built around the motto “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”
How 40 Years of European History Are Woven Into Bayer 04's Kit
The kit is predominantly black. Bold diagonal stripes run across the front, with New Balance drawing on elements from earlier Bayer 04 kits. Silver details, according to the club, are inspired by the trophies of the various European competitions.
The historical approach is most evident in the crest. Instead of the current Bayer 04 logo, a historic club emblem sits on the left chest. It's one of the two elements of the so-called double vignette, used in the 1970s and 1980s.
The collar also nods to the anniversary: it reads “04 / 40” – 04 for Bayer 04, 40 for the years since the club's European debut.
The kit is presented by both former and current Werkself players. In doing so, the campaign also brings together the different generations who have shaped Bayer Leverkusen on the international stage.
From 1986 to 2026: Bayer Leverkusen's History in Europe
After the debut in Kalmar in 1986, the first major success doesn't take long to arrive. Bayer 04 win their first and, to this day, only international title the following European season. In the 1988 UEFA Cup final, Leverkusen lose the first leg 3-0 away at Espanyol Barcelona. In the second leg, the Werkself level the score before winning the penalty shootout 3-2.
2002 brings the next major European milestone. Bayer reach the Champions League final and face Real Madrid in Glasgow. Leverkusen lose 2-1 – Zinédine Zidane's volley for the winning goal remains one of the most famous goals in the competition's history.
22 years later, the Werkself once again reach a European final. Bayer 04 go into the 2024 Europa League final on a 51-match unbeaten run in competitive matches. Atalanta Bergamo win 3-0 in Dublin, ending Leverkusen's remarkable run.
The new slogan sums up that history: “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.” At the same time, it looks ahead to the club's next chapters on the international stage.
The European kit is available now via Bayer 04's online store and fan shop. For those who want more, the European kit is also available as a strictly limited box. Alongside the kit in its Elite version, it includes a certificate, a card holder and a keyring. The standout extra is a signed Bayer 04 legends card, limited to just 43 copies each: Jens Nowotny, Paulo Sergio, Ulf Kirsten, Karim Bellarabi, Falko Götz, Hans-Peter Lehnhoff and Rüdiger Vollborn are part of the series.
By the way: after the home, away and third kit, the European kit is already Bayer 04's fourth for the 2026/27 season.
