DFB Cup draw: Bavaria meets labor, Dortmund in the NRW duel!

DFB Cup draw: Bavaria meets labor, Dortmund in the NRW duel!

On Sunday evening, June 16, 2025, the first round of the DFB Cup was drawn, and the tension increases from minute. The draw, which took place at 5:15 p.m., produced some exciting encounters that football fans can look forward to all over Germany. From August 15th to 18th, 2025, various clubs will meet in the first main round duel, including absolute top -class players and some surprise teams.

FC Bayern Munich, known for his dominance in the Bundesliga, is dealing with the third division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden. A lot that offers both the Bavarian and Underdogs the chance to prove themselves. Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, meets Rot-Weiss Essen in the Ruhrpott derby and thus ensures additional explosiveness in the first round. Werder Bremen also has to face a challenge: Arminia Bielefeld is waiting for the Hanseatic League. This game stands out, since the Bremeners learned a lot in the Bundesliga last season and now meet the 2nd league.

This is how the field of participants looks

A total of 64 teams are represented in the DFB Cup this year, including the 18 Bundesliga clubs and the 14 best-placed teams in the 2nd Bundesliga and some strong representatives from lower leagues. Clubs such as Eintracht Braunschweig and Hansa Rostock are represented from the 3rd league, while the amateur associations, including Prussia Münster and the debutant SV Hemelingen from Bremen, have great hopes to take the professionals and take a big step in their club history

• participant of the 1st Bundesliga:
  • FC Bayern Munich
  • Bayer 04 Leverkusen
  • Eintracht Frankfurt
  • Borussia Dortmund
  • SC Freiburg
  • 1. FSV Mainz 05
  • rb Leipzig
  • Werder Bremen
  • VfB Stuttgart
  • Borussia Mönchengladbach
  • VfL Wolfsburg
  • FC Augsburg
  • 1. FC Union Berlin
  • FC St. Pauli
  • TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
  • 1. FC Heidenheim
  • VfL Bochum
  • Holstein Kiel
• participant in the 2nd Bundesliga:
  • 1. FC Köln
  • Hamburger SV
  • SV Elversberg
  • SC Paderborn 07
  • 1. FC Magdeburg
  • Fortuna Düsseldorf
  • 1. FC Kaiserslautern
  • Karlsruher SC
  • Hannover 96
  • 1. FC Nürnberg
  • Hertha BSC
  • SV Darmstadt 98
  • SpVgg Greuther Fürth
  • FC Schalke 04
  • Prussia Münster
  • Eintracht Braunschweig
  • SSV Ulm 1846
  • SSV Jahn Regensburg

The players and fans are already looking forward to the encounters. Where will the surprises take place this year? Perhaps we will see an ascent from the lower leagues when teams like SV Hemelingen manage to score against established clubs. After all, the trophy has its own laws, and the DFB Cup story is full of unexpected turns, where amateurs in the spotlight are impressively against professional teams.

"The trophy is a very special competition that embodies the passion of football," said a fan from Bremen. "Everything is possible here!" In the first main round, everyone who is in the amateur pot is looking forward to the chance of playing in front of a full house and possibly against a big name, while the professionals want to ensure that they want to overcome the first hurdle without any problems

Overall, the DFB Cup will once again write numerous stories in this issue. The games that will take place in the coming months not only offer pure excitement, but also the opportunity to experience unforgettable football moments. The clubs hope for a good hand to get on in the race for the prestigious title and to reach the grand finale on May 23, 2026 in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.

More details on the history and the statistics of the DFB Cup can be found on the Wikipedia page for the DFB Cup, as well Turus.net and frekn.de.