The DFB Cup draw: pure excitement on June 15th in Dortmund!

The DFB Cup draw: pure excitement on June 15th in Dortmund!

The DFB Cup goes into the next round! On June 4, 2025, preparations for the new season are already in full swing. The first round of the DFB Cup 2025/26 will take place on June 15, 2025 in the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The tension increases because the draw is transmitted live on ZDF and moderated by Lili Engels. From 5:15 p.m. the fans can look forward to exciting encounters.

A total of 64 teams will fight for the prestigious title. The group of participants consists of 32 first and second division teams and four of the strongest third division teams. There are also 21 state cup winners and three teams from associations with most clubs in the DFB. The first round's games are scheduled for the period from August 15th to 18th, 2025. There will be some interesting pairings that will captivate the fans.

participant and division of the loose pots

The teams are divided into two loose pots. The big names such as FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and SV Werder Bremen are in the professional pot. These are the 32 teams in a professional pot:

• FC Bayern Munich
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Eintracht Frankfurt
• Borussia Dortmund
• SC Freiburg
• 1. FSV Mainz 05
• rb Leipzig
• SV Werder Bremen
• VfB Stuttgart
• Borussia Mönchengladbach
• VfL Wolfsburg
• FC Augsburg
• 1. FC Union Berlin
• FC St. Pauli
• TSG Hoffenheim
• 1. FC Heidenheim
• 1. FC Köln
• Hamburger SV
• Holstein Kiel
• VfL Bochum
• SV Elversberg
• sc Paderborn
• 1. FC Magdeburg
• Fortuna Düsseldorf
• 1. FC Kaiserslautern
• Karlsruher SC
• Hannover 96
• 1. FC Nürnberg
• Hertha BSC Berlin
• SV Darmstadt 98
• SpVgg Greuther Fürth
• FC Schalke 04

In the amateur pot, there are 32 other teams, including Prussia Münster and Energie Cottbus. These teams have home rights and can therefore rely on the support of their fans.

A highlight in addition to the favorites are the debutants, such as SV Hemelingen from Bremen and RSV Eintracht from Brandenburg in 1949. These teams will probably be particularly good at leaving a good impression on their first big appearances in the cup.

The most important dates

The first games are played between August 15 and 18, 2025, while the games from FC Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart were moved to August 26 and 27, 2025. The subsequent 2nd main round is planned for the 28th and 29th October 2025, followed by the round of 16, which takes place on December 2 and 3, 2025. The grand finale will be played in Berlin on May 23, 2026.

As always, the DFB Cup brings many exciting duel with it this season. Particular attention is paid to encounters such as Eintracht Braunschweig against Hannover 96 or Hansa Rostock against FC St. Pauli, which stand for passionate rivalries. In addition, the meeting of SV Hemelingen and Werder Bremen will certainly be a highlight for fans in Bremen.

What awaits us this season remains to be seen, but the anticipation could not be greater. Whether the big teams can keep their status or the amateurs will cause surprises-the DFB Cup guarantees exciting football moments!

For detailed information on participants and statistics, you can find more details on kicker.de, turus.net and Footystats.org.