Bayer 04 unveils first dedicated European kit: four decades of international history in black and silver
For the first time in the club's history, Bayer 04 Leverkusen has received a kit designed specifically for European competitions. On 27 August 2026, the club unveiled a black-and-silver model that the team will wear in international matches during the 2026/27 season, with the entire campaign built around the slogan "40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History." According to Bayer 04, the kit was created in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance and conceived as a link between the club's first European appearances in the mid-1980s and the new UEFA Europa League season. The unveiling comes immediately before the draw for the 2026/27 Europa League league phase, which UEFA has scheduled for 28 August in Monaco. The new kit is therefore not merely another variation of the season's equipment, but also a visible commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the beginning of Leverkusen's European story.
Bayer 04 states that current players and club legends took part in the campaign to emphasise the connection between the different generations that have shaped the club's appearances in European competitions. The club highlights three central historical moments: winning the UEFA Cup in 1988, the Champions League final against Real Madrid in 2002 and reaching the Europa League final in 2024. Each of these events belongs to a different stage in Bayer 04's development: from a team that was only beginning to consolidate its place among Germany's leading clubs, through a squad that reached the biggest match in European club football, to a more recent generation that once again made it to the final stage of a continental competition. It is precisely this breadth of history that forms the basis of the design and marketing story behind the new kit.
Black base, silver details and the return of a historic emblem
According to Bayer 04's description, the base colour of the shirt is black, with prominent diagonal stripes extending across the front. Their shape draws on motifs from earlier club shirts and is intended to recall kits from periods that marked particular European campaigns. The black base is complemented by silver details, which the club says were inspired by European competition trophies. This represents a departure from the standard red-and-black combination most commonly associated with Bayer 04, but without completely abandoning the club's historical identity.
The most striking historical element is located on the left side of the chest. Bayer 04 has placed a classic club emblem there, representing one of the elements of the former double vignette used during the 1970s and 1980s. It is a deliberate return to the visual language of the period immediately preceding the club's first major European successes. On the back, in the collar area, there is also an "04 / 40" marking. The club explains that the number 04 refers to Bayer 04, while the number 40 represents four decades of appearances in European competitions. This detail connects the current season with 1986, when Leverkusen first appeared on the international stage.
At the same time, the design has a clear function in distinguishing the club's European identity. The new model is specifically intended for international matches, and with it the club has for the first time created an independent "European" visual line for the first team. Such a move carries additional significance in a major anniversary year, because European appearances are presented not merely as part of the fixture list but as a separate layer of club history.
The European story began in Kalmar in 1986
Bayer 04's club archive confirms that the first official European match was played on 17 September 1986 against Swedish side Kalmar. Leverkusen won 4:1 away from home, and Christian Schreier became the club's first goalscorer in European competition. According to Bayer's historical record, Schreier scored twice in the opening 20 minutes, while the remaining goals were scored by Bum-kun Cha and Falko Götz. Around 300 Bayer 04 supporters travelled to Sweden for the club's European debut, which today represents the symbolic starting point of the 40-year period to which the new kit directly refers.
That first European season in 1986/87 did not last long. After 4:1 and 3:0 victories over Kalmar, Bayer 04 were eliminated in the next round by Dukla Prague after a 0:0 away draw and a 1:1 result in Leverkusen. However, the club made an enormous leap forward the following season. The road to the 1987/88 UEFA Cup included ties against Austria Vienna, Toulouse, Feyenoord, Barcelona and Werder Bremen before the final showdown with Espanyol. Thus, only a year and a half after their first European appearance, Bayer 04 reached a trophy that remains one of the most important in the club's history.
The comeback against Espanyol became the foundation of the club's European identity
The 1988 UEFA Cup final was played over two legs and remains one of the most dramatic chapters in Bayer's history. Espanyol won the first match in Barcelona 3:0, meaning the German side needed an almost perfect performance in the return leg just to bring the tie back level. According to the club's historical record, 22,000 people watched the return match in Leverkusen on 18 May 1988. After a goalless first half, Tita scored in the 58th minute, Falko Götz in the 63rd and Bum-kun Cha in the 81st to make it 3:0 and completely level the aggregate score.
The decision came in a penalty shoot-out. Bayer 04 won 3:2, with goalkeeper Rüdiger Vollborn becoming one of the key figures of the historic evening. That UEFA Cup title remained the club's first major international trophy and the central reference point for every subsequent Bayer European campaign. In the new campaign, that generation is directly connected with the current players, while Falko Götz, one of the scorers in the second leg of the 1988 final, is among the legends included in the special collectors' series.
The 2002 Champions League final and one of the competition's most famous finishes
Fourteen years after winning the UEFA Cup, Bayer 04 reached the Champions League final. UEFA states that on 15 May 2002 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Real Madrid defeated Leverkusen 2:1. Raúl put the Spanish side ahead in the eighth minute, Lúcio equalised six minutes later, and Zinédine Zidane scored the winning goal with a volley shortly before half-time. That goal became one of the most recognisable moments in Champions League final history, but for Bayer 04 the match also remained proof that the club could compete on equal terms on Europe's biggest stage.
UEFA's report recalls that Leverkusen had chances to equalise late in the match and that Real Madrid substitute goalkeeper Iker Casillas preserved the lead with saves in the final minutes. Bayer 04 therefore did not become European champions, but the 2001/02 season permanently strengthened the club's international status. In the context of the new kit, the Glasgow final represents the second major historical milestone: the period in which the club from Leverkusen progressed from UEFA Cup winners to finalists in Europe's strongest club competition.
Return to a major final in 2024 after an extraordinary unbeaten run
The third event Bayer 04 particularly highlights in the presentation of the new kit is the 2024 UEFA Europa League final in Dublin. The team, then coached by Xabi Alonso, reached the final after a season marked by a long unbeaten run and the German league title. UEFA recorded that Leverkusen entered the final on a run of 51 consecutive matches without defeat in all competitions. That run was ended by Atalanta, who won 3:0 on 22 May 2024 thanks to three goals from Ademola Lookman.
Although the final brought a convincing defeat, the entire European campaign once again placed Bayer 04 at the centre of continental football. The club overcame Qarabağ, West Ham United and Roma in the knockout phase, with numerous matches in which the team achieved the required result in the closing stages standing out in particular. In Bayer's interpretation, the Dublin final is therefore not presented merely as a lost match, but as the culmination of one of the most successful seasons in the club's history. At the same time, it demonstrated the continuity of the club's European ambitions almost four decades after the first match in Kalmar.
The new kit arrives ahead of a new Europa League season
The timing of the unveiling is no coincidence. Bayer 04 will compete in the UEFA Europa League in the 2026/27 season, and UEFA's official procedure schedules the league-phase draw for 28 August in Monaco. UEFA has announced that the league phase begins on 16 September, while the full schedule with match dates and kick-off times will be published after the draw. Even before the kit unveiling, the club had offered members a special international season ticket for home Europa League matches, further emphasising that the European part of the season has its own distinct identity.
The new kit is expected to become a recognisable visual symbol of Bayer 04 in precisely those matches. For a club that played its first European match 40 years ago, this means that the anniversary will not be limited to a retrospective or commemorative collection, but that historical motifs will also be present on the first team's match kit. The campaign slogan "Still Creating History" clearly shifts the emphasis from commemorating the past towards what comes next on the pitch.
Prices, materials and personalisation options
Bayer 04 has announced that the standard replica version of the European shirt is available in sizes S to 5XL for 94.90 euros. The Elite version, which according to the club corresponds to the version worn by the first team, is sold in sizes S to 3XL for 139.90 euros. At the time of publication, size M of the Elite model was temporarily unavailable. Club members are entitled to a ten percent discount on shirts.
There are also differences in the materials. According to Bayer 04, the replica is made from 100 percent recycled polyester. The Elite model uses a blend of 90 percent polyester and 10 percent elastane, adapted to the greater functional demands of sporting activity. The club also offers silver name and number printing. Names of first-team players and honorary captains are available for an additional 19.90 euros, while individual personalisation costs 24.90 euros; the ten percent members' discount also applies to these options.
The shirt has been available since 27 August in Bayer's online shop and in the club's Fanwelt store. A broader European collection was also unveiled alongside it, including a T-shirt, hoodie and zip-up jacket, all available in sizes XS to 5XL. In this way, the club has extended the celebration of 40 years of European football beyond match equipment itself, although the central product remains the first dedicated European shirt for the first team.
Limited collector's box connects seven generations of Bayer
A special part of the offer is a strictly limited collector's box containing the Elite version of the shirt. Bayer 04 states that the package includes a certificate, card holder, key ring and one collector's card bearing the original signature of a club legend. The series features seven different motifs: Jens Nowotny, Paulo Sergio, Ulf Kirsten, Karim Bellarabi, Falko Götz, Hans-Peter Lehnhoff and Rüdiger Vollborn. Each of the seven cards is limited to 43 copies, while the club shop states that the entire box series is limited to 301 units.
The special package costs 249.90 euros, while Bayer 04's official announcement lists a price of 224.91 euros for members. The Elite shirt from the box cannot be ordered with printing or sleeve badges during the initial online purchase, but Bayer 04 states that these additions can subsequently be applied at the Fanwelt store. The choice of names for the signed cards further emphasises the intention to connect several eras: from Götz and Vollborn, protagonists of 1988, through Kirsten, Paulo Sergio, Lehnhoff and Nowotny, to Bellarabi as a representative of the more recent era.
Forty years between the first European victory and a new league phase
Symbolically, the new kit closes a circle that began on 17 September 1986 in Kalmar. Bayer 04 were then European debutants who won their first international match 4:1; two years later, they lifted the UEFA Cup. By 2002, they had reached the Champions League final, and in 2024 they returned to the Europa League final. Now, in the 2026/27 season, the club enters a new European chapter with a kit designed specifically for international competitions for the first time.
The club's message therefore does not rest solely on nostalgia. The historic emblem, diagonal stripes, silver details and "04 / 40" marking serve as reminders of previous eras, while the shirt itself will be used in matches whose opponents were still to be determined by the draw at the time of its unveiling. After four decades of European journeys, Bayer 04 thus enters a new season with a kit that literally carries the past on it, but whose true meaning will depend on the results the team achieves in the 2026/27 Europa League.
Sources:
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - official announcement on the unveiling of the European kit for the 2026/27 season, its design, prices, materials and special collection (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - club historical record of the first European match against Kalmar on 17 September 1986 (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - historical overview of the 1988 UEFA Cup triumph against Espanyol (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - historical overview of the European journey and key matches that led to winning the UEFA Cup in 1988 (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - information on the international season ticket for home Europa League matches in 2026/27 (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fanshop - information on the limited collector's box and the series of 301 units (link)
- UEFA - official report on the 2002 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (link)
- UEFA - official report on the 2024 Europa League final between Atalanta and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (link)
- UEFA - information on the draw and the start of the 2026/27 Europa League league phase (link)