The 2025–26 DFB-Pokal was the 44th season of the annual German football cup competition. Several teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Frauen-Bundesliga and the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga, excluding second teams. The competition began on 16 August 2025 with the first of six rounds and ended on 14 May 2026 with the final at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010.
Bayern Munich defeated VfL Wolfsburg 4–0 in the final to win their third title.
Participating clubs The following clubs qualified for the competition:
Bundesligathe 12 clubs of the 2024–25 season 2. Bundesliga11 of the 14 clubs of the 2024–25 season Regionalliga4 of 5 champions of the 2024–25 season Werder Bremen SGS Essen Eintracht Frankfurt SC Freiburg TSG Hoffenheim Carl Zeiss Jena 1. FC Köln Bayer Leverkusen RB Leipzig Bayern Munich Turbine Potsdam VfL Wolfsburg SG Andernach Union Berlin VfL Bochum FSV Gütersloh Hamburger SV FC Ingolstadt SV Meppen Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. FC Nürnberg SC Sand SV 67 Weinberg Viktoria Berlin Mainz 05 VfB Stuttgart VfR Warbeyen Verbandspokalthe 21 winners of the regional association cupsBaden Karlsruher SC Bavaria Greuther Fürth Berlin Borussia Pankow Brandenburg FSV Babelsberg 74 Bremen ATS Buntentor Hamburg SC Victoria Hamburg Hesse Kickers OffenbachLower Rhine TSV Solingen-Aufderhöhe Lower Saxony Hannover 96 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1. FC Neubrandenburg 04 Middle Rhine Fortuna Köln Rhineland 1. FFC Montabaur Saarland SV Elversberg Saxony BSG Chemie LeipzigSaxony-Anhalt 1. FC Magdeburg Schleswig-Holstein Holstein Kiel South Baden FC Freiburg-St. Georgen Southwest SC Siegelbach Thuringia Saalfeld Titans Westphalia Borussia Dortmund Württemberg VfL Herrenberg
Format This year saw a format change, as the 21 regional cup winners, the five promoted teams from the Regionalliga and six teams from the 2. Bundesliga competed in a play-off round. Teams from the Bundesliga and the four-highest 2. Bundesliga teams entered in the first round. After that, the first round was played by the remaining 32 teams without restrictions.
Schedule The rounds of the 2025–26 competition were scheduled as follows:
Round Matches Play-offs 16–19 August 2025 First round 27–29 September 2025 Round of 16 15–17 November 2025 Quarter-finals 11 March 2026 Semi-finals 5–6 April 2026 Final 14 May 2026 at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
Matches Times up to 26 October 2025 and from 29 March 2026 are CEST (UTC+2). Times from 27 October 2025 to 28 March 2026 are CET (UTC+1).
Play-offs The draw took place on 26 June 2025, with Renate Lingor drawing the matches. The play-offs are split into a North group and a South group. The twelve Bundesliga teams and the four best-placed teams from the 2. Bundesliga had a bye. The matches will take place between 16 and 19 August 2025.
First round The draw took place on 19 August 2025 with Turid Knaak drawing the matches. The matches took place between 27 and 29 September 2025.
Round of 16 The draw took place on 5 October 2025 with Dietmar Hamann drawing the matches. The matches will take place on 15 and 16 November 2025.
Quarter-finals The draw took place on 7 December 2025 with Friedhelm Funkel drawing the matches. The matches took place on 11 March 2026.
Semi-finals The draw took place on 11 March 2026 with Rachel Rinast drawing the matches. The matches will take place on 5 and 6 April 2026.
Final The match took place on 14 May 2026.
GK 1 Stina Johannes RB 2 Thea Bjelde CB 4 Sophia Kleinherne CB 16 Camilla Küver LB 39 Sarai Linder DM 6 Janina Minge RM 10 Svenja Huth CM 8 Lena Lattwein CM 5 Ella Peddemors LM 9 Lineth Beerensteyn CF 11 Alexandra Popp (c)Substitutes: GK 21 Martina Tufekovic DF 3 Caitlin Dijkstra DF 15 Janou Levels DF 20 Guro Bergsvand DF 24 Joelle Wedemeyer MF 14 Smilla Vallotto MF 18 Justine Kielland FW 25 Vivien Endemann FW 28 Cora Zicai Manager: Stephan Lerch GK 32 Ena Mahmutovic RB 7 Giulia Gwinn CB 4 Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir (c) CB 5 Magdalena Eriksson LB 20 Franziska Kett CM 15 Bernadette Amani CM 31 Georgia Stanway RW 10 Linda Dallmann AM 18 Momoko Tanikawa LW 17 Klara Bühl CF 21 Pernille Harder Substitutes: GK 1 Maria Luisa Grohs DF 3 Stine Ballisager DF 19 Katharina Naschenweng DF 30 Carolin Simon DF 2 Vanessa Gilles MF 27 Arianna Caruso MF 28 Barbara Dunst FW 23 Natalia Padilla FW 29 Edna Imade Manager: José Barcala
Assistant referees: Anne Uersfeld Simone Jakob Fourth official: Davina Lutz Video assistant referee: Katrin Rafalski Assistant video assistant referee: Riem Hussein
Top goalscorers Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs are not included.
Rank Player Team Goals1 Emma Kusch FC Ingolstadt5 Nina Penzkofer FC Ingolstadt3 Pernille Harder Bayern Munich4 Paula Vidović FC Ingolstadt5 Olivia Alcaide Carl Zeiss Jena3 Nicole Anyomi Eintracht Frankfurt Jana Bothmann SC Victoria Hamburg Julia Dose Hannover 96 Giovanna Hoffmann RB Leipzig Edna Imade Bayern Munich Aida Manoukian VfR Warbeyen Pija Reininger SC Sand Magdalena Schwarz FC Ingolstadt Maja Sternad Werder Bremen
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References