How the 2026/27 DFB Cup works as it reaches the second round

Key takeaways

• The DFB Cup is Germany's national knockout cup, run by the German Football Association and open to professional and amateur clubs.
• Bundesliga.com reports that Bayern Munich won the competition last season, their 21st DFB Cup title.
• Every tie before the final is a single match, and a draw after normal time goes to extra time and then penalties.
• In the early rounds the draw rules give lower-division clubs home advantage against professional opponents.
• The winner earns a place in European competition and a place in the following season's German Super Cup.

What is happening in the 2026/27 DFB Cup?

The 2026/27 edition of the DFB Cup, known in Germany as the DFB-Pokal, has moved past its opening round. Bundesliga.com, the official English-language site of the German league, has an overview page tracking fixtures, results and draws as the tournament enters the second round. This article does not cover individual results or scorelines. It explains how the competition is built, how ties are drawn and scheduled, and what is at stake for the clubs still involved.

The basic format is simple. The tournament is a straight knockout. Each round halves the field, and there are no second legs, group stages or replays. A tie that is level after normal time goes to extra time, and if it is still level after that, to a penalty shoot-out. The losing side is out. The last two clubs meet in a single final at a fixed neutral venue in Berlin, which has hosted the showpiece for decades.

Why is the DFB Cup in the news now?

The competition is back in the news because it has reached its second round, a point at which the full professional field meets a smaller group of surviving amateur clubs. Bundesliga.com frames its overview around one question: who will challenge Bayern Munich, the holders, who it says won their 21st DFB Cup last season.

The second round matters for a structural reason. The opening round is built to pair professional clubs with amateur ones, so most of the gap between divisions shows up there. By the second round, the clubs that remain are a mix of Bundesliga sides, second-tier clubs and the few lower-league teams that came through. The draw becomes less predictable, and meetings between two top-flight clubs become possible earlier than many supporters expect.

What background does a newcomer need?

The DFB Cup is organised by the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), the national football association. The Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, by contrast, are run by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL). That split explains why the cup has its own entry rules, which are not just a copy of the league ladder.

The first-round field brings together three broad groups. The first is the clubs of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The second is the best-placed clubs from the previous season's 3. Liga. The third, and most distinctive, is a large group of amateur clubs that qualify by winning regional cup competitions run by Germany's regional and state football associations. The associations with the most registered clubs get additional places. As a result, village and semi-professional clubs from across the country appear in the opening round alongside the clubs of the top flight.

One more eligibility rule matters. Reserve and second teams of professional clubs cannot enter, even if they play in a division that would otherwise qualify. This means a club can never meet its own second team, and it keeps amateur places for independent clubs.

The draw rules are what give the cup its character. In the first round, the field is split so that amateur and lower-division clubs are drawn against professional clubs, and the smaller club is given home advantage. In later rounds, a club from a lower division drawn against a higher-ranked opponent generally plays at home. A Bundesliga club may therefore have to play on a small, unfamiliar pitch in front of a crowd that is almost entirely against it.

Who is affected, and how?

For amateur clubs, a home draw against a professional side can transform their finances. Ticket income, broadcast interest and a share of the competition's central revenues can mean far more to a regional club than a whole season of league football. Many of these clubs plan their budgets with the cup in mind, but they cannot count on it, because a club only takes part if it wins its regional competition.

For professional clubs, the cup brings a different calculation. Each round is a fixture added to a calendar already crowded with league matches and, for some clubs, European competition. Coaches have to judge how much to rotate their squads. A heavily changed side is more exposed to an upset, and in a single-match knockout there is no second leg in which to recover.

For second-tier clubs, the cup is one of the few routes to European football that does not run through promotion and a top-half Bundesliga finish. The winner earns a European place, which is why a run to the later rounds can matter so much to clubs outside the top flight.

For the holders, the position is simple in format and demanding in practice. Bayern Munich, whom bundesliga.com reports as last season's winners, get no seeding protection or bye. They enter the draw on the same terms as every other professional club and face the same single-elimination risk.

Where do informed people disagree?

Several features of the DFB Cup are argued over among supporters, clubs and commentators, and none has a settled answer.

The first concerns the draw. Home advantage for lower-division clubs is widely seen as the source of the cup's appeal. Some argue it should run further into the tournament. Others say that once only professional clubs are left, the draw should be fully open.

The second concerns scheduling. Midweek cup rounds increase the load on clubs already playing in Europe. Some people think the competition should be shortened or moved around the international calendar. Others answer that taking dates away from the cup would weaken the one national tournament that links the whole football pyramid.

The third concerns the final venue. A fixed final in Berlin has turned the occasion into a ritual, with supporters planning travel well in advance. Critics point out that a fixed venue favours clubs whose supporters can travel there easily. Supporters of the arrangement value its tradition and the certainty it gives.

The fourth concerns money. How central revenues are shared between professional and amateur participants, and how much each round is worth, is debated regularly. This article does not quote specific figures because they are not given in the source material.

What are the practical implications?

For anyone following the 2026/27 edition, the most useful thing to understand is the order in which decisions are made. A draw is held after each round is complete, so fixtures for the next stage are not known in advance. Kick-off dates and broadcast slots are then confirmed separately once the draw is done. Fixture times for the coming rounds are not set out in the source material and should be checked against official announcements.

The single-match format has tactical consequences too. A lower-ranked club playing at home has every reason to keep the game tight, defend deep and play for extra time or penalties. A favourite has the opposite problem. It has to break down a packed defence without leaving space to be caught on the counter, often on a pitch that suits neither its usual tempo nor its passing patterns. That tension between control and risk shapes most early-round ties, whatever the names involved.

The European place adds another layer. If the cup winner has already qualified for Europe through its league position, the place does not lapse. It passes down through the Bundesliga standings, so league clubs well away from the cup can still be affected by who lifts the trophy.

What should readers watch next?

The next things to follow are the completion of the second round and the draw for the round of 16. That draw will show how many lower-division clubs remain, whether any of them keep home advantage, and whether any meetings between Bundesliga clubs come early. Bundesliga.com says it will keep updating its fixtures and results overview as the competition goes on.

Beyond the draw, it is worth watching how clubs in European competition manage their squads around midweek cup dates, and whether any club from outside the top flight reaches the later rounds. Which clubs will make up the eventual challengers to the holders is not known at this stage.

Frequently asked questions

How many teams take part in the DFB Cup?

The DFB Cup opening round traditionally has a field of 64 clubs. They include the clubs of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, the best-placed clubs from the previous season's 3. Liga, and amateur clubs that qualify by winning cup competitions run by Germany's regional football associations. Associations with the most registered clubs get extra places. The field halves with each knockout round until two clubs remain for the final.

Who won the DFB Cup last season?

According to bundesliga.com, the official English-language site of the German league, Bayern Munich won the DFB Cup last season. The site says it was the club's 21st win in the competition. As holders, Bayern enter the 2026/27 edition with no seeding protection or bye, and are drawn on the same terms as every other professional club taking part in the tournament.

Are DFB Cup ties played over two legs?

No. Every DFB Cup tie, including the final, is decided in a single match. If the score is level after normal time, the teams play extra time. If it is still level after extra time, the tie goes to a penalty shoot-out. There are no replays and no second legs, which is one reason the competition produces upsets more often than league football.

Why do smaller clubs play at home in the DFB Cup?

The draw rules give home advantage to lower-division clubs when they are drawn against higher-ranked opponents in the early stages. In the first round, amateur clubs are paired with professional ones and host the match. The aim is to give smaller clubs a fairer chance on the pitch and a share of the revenue that comes from hosting a well-known professional side.

What does the DFB Cup winner qualify for?

The winner of the DFB Cup earns a place in European club competition for the following season and a place in the German Super Cup against the Bundesliga champions. If the cup winner has already qualified for Europe through its league position, the cup's European place passes down through the Bundesliga standings to another club, rather than going unused.

Where is the DFB Cup final played?

The DFB Cup final is played at a fixed neutral venue in Berlin, which has hosted the match for many years. Because the venue is known well in advance, supporters of clubs still in the competition can plan their travel before the finalists are decided. The fixed venue is a recognised part of the tournament's tradition, although some people question whether it suits every club equally.

Sources and further reading

• Bundesliga.com, the official English-language site of the German league, for its overview of 2026/27 DFB Cup fixtures, results and draws.
• The German Football Association (DFB), as organiser of the competition, for its regulations on eligibility, draw procedure and match format.
• The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), for background on the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga and how league places relate to European qualification.
• Germany's regional football associations, for how amateur clubs qualify through regional cup competitions.