The 2026–27 DFB-Pokal will be the 45th season of the annual German football cup competition. Several teams participate in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Frauen-Bundesliga and the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga, excluding second teams. The competition will begin on 15 August 2026 with the first of six rounds and will end on 17 May 2027 with the final at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010.
Participating clubs The following clubs qualified for the competition:
Bundesligathe 14 clubs of the 2025–26 season 2. Bundesliga11 of the 14 clubs of the 2025–26 season Regionalliga one promoted team from the Regionalliga of the 2025–26 season Union Berlin Werder Bremen SGS Essen Eintracht Frankfurt SC Freiburg Hamburger SV TSG Hoffenheim Carl Zeiss Jena 1. FC Köln Bayer Leverkusen RB Leipzig Bayern Munich 1. FC Nürnberg VfL Wolfsburg SG Andernach Viktoria Berlin VfL Bochum FC Ingolstadt Mainz 05 SV Meppen Borussia Mönchengladbach Turbine Potsdam SC Sand VfB Stuttgart VfR Warbeyen Hertha BSC Verbandspokalthe 21 winners of the regional association cupsBaden Karlsruher SC Bavaria Greuther Fürth Berlin Berolina Mitte Brandenburg FSV Babelsberg 74 Bremen ATS Buntentor Hamburg FC St. Pauli Hesse Sportfreunde Blau-Gelb MarburgLower Rhine MSV Duisburg Lower Saxony Hannover 96 FC Jesteburg-Bendestorf Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansa Rostock Middle Rhine Fortuna Köln Rhineland TuS Issel Saarland 1. FC Saarbrücken Saxony Chemnitzer FCSaxony-Anhalt 1. FC Magdeburg Schleswig-Holstein Holstein Kiel South Baden Alemannia Zähringen Southwest Wormatia Worms Thuringia 1. FFV Erfurt Westphalia Schalke 04 Württemberg SV Eutingen
Format The 21 regional cup winners, the three promoted teams from the Regionalliga and eight teams from the 2. Bundesliga compete in a play-off round. Teams from the Bundesliga and the two-highest 2. Bundesliga teams will enter in the first round. After that, the first round will be played by the remaining 32 teams without restrictions.
Schedule The rounds of the 2026–27 competition are scheduled as follows:
Round Matches Playoffs 15–17 August 2026 First round 26–27 September 2026 Round of 16 30 October – 2 November 2026 Quarter-finals 10–11 March 2027 Semi-finals 3–4 April 2027 Final 17 May 2027 at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
Times up to 24 October 2026 and from 27 March 2027 are CEST (UTC+2). Times from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027 are CET (UTC+1).
Matches Playoffs The draw took place on 26 June 2026, with Silke Rottenberg drawing the matches. The matches took place between 15 and 17 August 2026.
First round The draw took place on 17 August 2026, with Kerstin Garefrekes drawing the matches. The matches took place on 26 and 27 September 2026.
Round of 16 The draw took place on 27 September 2026, with Rachel Rinast drawing the matches. The matches will take place between 30 October and 2 November 2026.
Quarter-finals The matches will take place on 10 and 11 March 2027.
Semi-finals The matches will take place on 3 and 4 April 2027.
Final The final will take place on 17 May 2027.
Top goalscorers Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs are not included.
Rank Player Team Goals1 Louna Lapassouse 1. FC Nürnberg3 Tia Luz SV Eutingen Jolina Opladen Schalke 04 Jana Rinderknecht SV Eutingen Melissa Zweigner-Genzer Karlsruher SC 6 22 players 2
Notes
References
External links Official website