DFB Pokal Fixtures, Results and Statistics

DFB Pokal, officially styled DFB-Pokal, is Germany’s national men’s knockout cup competition, organised by the German Football Association (DFB). It brings together clubs from across the German football pyramid in a single-elimination tournament, giving established Bundesliga teams and ambitious lower-league sides a shared route to a major domestic trophy.

Germany’s premier national knockout cup

The competition has its roots in 1935, when it was founded as the Tschammer-Pokal. It was suspended during the Second World War and reinstated in 1952 under the DFB-Pokal name. Following German reunification, clubs from the former East German football system became part of the unified national competition, extending its representation across Germany.

The DFB-Pokal is separate from the league system: teams do not accumulate points over a season, and there is no group stage or two-legged tie. Each fixture is a one-off match, with the winner progressing and the loser eliminated. The final has been held at Berlin’s Olympiastadion since 1985, giving the competition a longstanding neutral-ground conclusion and one of the most recognisable fixtures in the German football calendar.

Who qualifies for the DFB-Pokal?

The standard field contains 64 clubs. All 18 Bundesliga teams and all 18 2. Bundesliga teams qualify automatically, while the top four clubs from the 3. Liga also enter the main competition. The remaining 24 places are allocated through Germany’s regional football structure.

Twenty-one places go to the winners of the regional association cups, known as Verbandspokale. Three additional places are assigned to the regional associations with the largest numbers of men’s teams; these are currently Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Westphalia. This pathway allows clubs from well below the professional divisions to reach the national stage. In principle, a village club can begin its route through a local regional cup and earn a place among Germany’s leading teams.

Reserve or second teams are not eligible. For example, a club’s first team may qualify, but its reserve side cannot enter the DFB-Pokal. This maintains the competition’s club structure and prevents multiple sides from the same organisation competing in the same national cup edition.

Six rounds from the opening draw to Berlin

The tournament consists of six rounds: the first round, second round, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The first two rounds use a two-pot draw designed to create matches between clubs from different levels of the game. Professional sides are drawn against lower-league or amateur teams, and the lower-ranked side generally receives home advantage in these opening rounds.

From the round of 16 onwards, the draw is open. All remaining clubs are placed together, although an amateur or 3. Liga team still receives home advantage when drawn against a professional opponent. In other pairings, the venue is determined by the draw procedure. This arrangement preserves a practical advantage for lower-ranked clubs while allowing the later rounds to produce a wider variety of match-ups.

Every tie is decided on the day. There are no replays and no second legs. A match level after 90 minutes proceeds to two 15-minute periods of extra time. If the scores remain equal after 120 minutes, a penalty shootout determines which team advances. Clubs may make five substitutions during the match, with a sixth permitted if the fixture goes to extra time; the additional change is made through an extra substitution window.

Video Assistant Referee is used from the round of 16 onwards. Earlier rounds therefore retain the particular officiating environment of the competition’s opening stages, while the later rounds receive the additional review process used in the highest-profile fixtures.

Calendar, purpose and rewards

The DFB-Pokal runs alongside the German league season. The first round is typically played in August, with further rounds scheduled through the autumn, winter and spring before the final in May. Exact dates vary from season to season, but the structure enables the cup to sit around Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga and European commitments.

Winning the competition has consequences beyond the trophy. The champion earns Germany’s UEFA Europa League league-stage place. If the cup winner has already qualified for the UEFA Champions League through its league position, the European place is reassigned according to the applicable Bundesliga standings rather than being awarded automatically to the cup runner-up. The winner also qualifies to face the Bundesliga champion in the following season’s DFL-Supercup.

Cup progress can be especially important for clubs outside the top division. Each successful round brings prize money and a high-profile fixture, while a favourable draw can produce valuable home revenue and national attention. The competition’s purpose is therefore broader than selecting a champion: it provides a formal national pathway from regional football to the German game’s biggest stages, while preserving the possibility of a lower-ranked club eliminating a heavyweight over a single match.