Bayer Leverkusen Colors, Facts and History

Bayer Leverkusen history

Workers at the paint factory that grew into the pharmaceutical company Bayer founded the club in 1904, and the firm, still headquartered in Leverkusen, gave it its name. Football was once one department of a larger sports club that also ran athletics, gymnastics, basketball and handball, until it split off in 1999. Red and black are the main colors on the kits and badge.

Promotion to the Bundesliga came in 1979, and the first big trophy was the 1988 UEFA Cup, followed by the 1993 DFB Pokal. In 2002 the team finished second in three competitions, the Champions League among them. Then came a long wait of more than 30 years. In 2024 Leverkusen won the Bundesliga for the first time plus a second DFB Pokal, becoming the first German side to win the league or the double without a loss, and set a European record with 51 straight unbeaten competitive games. Köln is the main rival, while Leverkusen fans have been friends with Kickers Offenbach supporters for almost 50 years.

Did you know?

• Leverkusen's run of 51 unbeaten competitive games set a European record.
• The football department separated from the wider TSV Bayer 04 sports club in 1999.
• Leverkusen supporters have shared a friendship with Kickers Offenbach fans for almost 50 years.