2020–21 DFB-Pokal

2020–21 DFB-Pokal

Tournament details
Country	Germany
Venue(s)	Olympiastadion, Berlin
Dates	11 September 2020 – 13 May 2021
Teams	64
Final positions
Champions	Borussia Dortmund (5th title)
Runner-up	RB Leipzig
Europa League	Bayer Leverkusen[note 1]
Tournament statistics
Matches played	63
Goals scored	230 (3.65 per match)
Attendance	33,841 (537 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Jadon Sancho (6 goals)

The 2020–21 DFB-Pokal was the 78th season of the annual German football cup competition. Sixty-four teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The competition began on 11 September 2020 with the first of six rounds and ended on 13 May 2021 with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 1985.^[1] The competition was originally scheduled to begin on 14 August 2020 and conclude on 22 May 2021, though this was delayed due to postponement of the previous season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga championship. The DFB-Pokal is run by the German Football Association (DFB).

Bundesliga side Bayern Munich were the two-time defending champions, having defeated Bayer Leverkusen 4–2 in the previous final to clinch a record 20th title.^[3] However, Bayern were knocked out of the competition in the second round by second-division side Holstein Kiel, losing on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time.^[4]

Borussia Dortmund won the final 4–1 against RB Leipzig for their fifth title.^[5] As winners, Dortmund featured in the 2021 edition of the DFL-Supercup at the start of the next season, and faced the champions of the 2020–21 Bundesliga, Bayern Munich. The winners of the DFB-Pokal also earned automatic qualification for the group stage of the 2021–22 edition of the UEFA Europa League. However, as Dortmund already qualified for the 2021–22 edition of the UEFA Champions League through their position in the Bundesliga, the spot went to the team in sixth place, and the league's UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round spot went to the team in seventh place.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

On 31 August 2020, the DFB Executive Committee decided to extend the use of five substitutions in matches to the 2020–21 season, which was implemented at the end of the previous season to lessen the impact of fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6][7] The use of five substitutes, based on the decision of competition organisers, had been extended by IFAB until 2021.^[8] Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and the high economic and organisational effort required to host the fixture, including loss of ticket revenue for matches behind closed doors, many amateur teams in the competition decided to waive their home rights and exchange the duty of hosting the match with their opponents.^[9] The DFB in general allowed spectators if approved by the local health department, though away supporters were not permitted at the start of the competition.^[10]

Participating clubs

The following 64 teams qualified for the competition:

Bundesliga the 18 clubs of the 2019–20 season	2. Bundesliga the 18 clubs of the 2019–20 season	3. Liga the top 4 clubs of the 2019–20 season
FC Augsburg Hertha BSC Union Berlin Werder Bremen Borussia Dortmund Fortuna Düsseldorf Eintracht Frankfurt SC Freiburg 1899 Hoffenheim 1. FC Köln RB Leipzig Bayer Leverkusen Mainz 05 Borussia Mönchengladbach Bayern Munich SC Paderborn Schalke 04 VfL Wolfsburg	Erzgebirge Aue Arminia Bielefeld VfL Bochum Darmstadt 98 Dynamo Dresden Greuther Fürth Hamburger SV Hannover 96 1. FC Heidenheim Karlsruher SC Holstein Kiel 1. FC Nürnberg VfL Osnabrück Jahn Regensburg SV Sandhausen FC St. Pauli VfB Stuttgart Wehen Wiesbaden	Würzburger Kickers Eintracht Braunschweig FC Ingolstadt MSV Duisburg[note 3]
Representatives of the regional associations 24 representatives of 21 regional associations of the DFB, qualified (in general) through the 2019–20 Verbandspokal[note 4]
Baden Waldhof Mannheim Bavaria[note 5] 1860 Munich (CW)[note 6] 1. FC Schweinfurt (RB)[note 7] Berlin VSG Altglienicke Brandenburg Union Fürstenwalde Bremen FC Oberneuland Hamburg Eintracht Norderstedt Hesse TSV Steinbach Haiger	Lower Rhine Rot-Weiss Essen Lower Saxony[note 8] TSV Havelse (3L/RL) Eintracht Celle (Am.) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansa Rostock Middle Rhine 1. FC Düren Rhineland FV Engers Saarland SV Elversberg Saxony Chemnitzer FC	Saxony-Anhalt 1. FC Magdeburg[note 9] Schleswig-Holstein SV Todesfelde South Baden 1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen Southwest 1. FC Kaiserslautern Thuringia Carl Zeiss Jena Westphalia[note 10] RSV Meinerzhagen (CW) SC Wiedenbrück (PO) Württemberg SSV Ulm

Format

Participation

The DFB-Pokal began with a round of 64 teams. The 36 teams of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, along with the top four finishers of the 3. Liga, automatically qualified for the tournament. Of the remaining slots, 21 were given to the cup winners of the regional football associations, the Verbandspokal. The three remaining slots were given to the three regional associations with the most men's teams, which were Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Westphalia. The best-placed amateur team of the Regionalliga Bayern was given the Spot for Bavaria. For Lower Saxony, the Lower Saxony Cup was split into two paths: one for 3. Liga and Regionalliga Nord teams, and the other for amateur teams. The winners of each path qualified. For Westphalia, the winner of a play-off between the best-placed team of the Regionalliga West and Oberliga Westfalen also qualified. As every team was entitled to participate in local tournaments which qualified for the association cups, every team could in principle compete in the DFB-Pokal. Reserve teams and combined football sections were not permitted to enter, along with no two teams of the same association or corporation.^[14]

Draw

The draws for the different rounds were conducted as follows:^[14]

For the first round, the participating teams were split into two pots of 32 teams each. The first pot contained all teams which qualified through their regional cup competitions, the best four teams of the 3. Liga, and the bottom four teams of the 2. Bundesliga. Every team from this pot was drawn to a team from the second pot, which contained all remaining professional teams (all the teams of the Bundesliga and the remaining fourteen 2. Bundesliga teams). The teams from the first pot were set as the home team in the process.

The two-pot scenario was also applied for the second round, with the remaining 3. Liga and/or amateur team(s) in the first pot and the remaining Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga teams in the other pot. Once again, the 3. Liga and/or amateur team(s) served as hosts. This time the pots did not have to be of equal size though, depending on the results of the first round. Theoretically, it was even possible that there could be only one pot, if all of the teams from one of the pots from the first round had beat all the others in the second pot. Once one pot was empty, the remaining pairings were drawn from the other pot, with the first-drawn team for a match serving as hosts.

For the remaining rounds, the draw was conducted from just one pot. Any remaining 3. Liga and/or amateur team(s) were the home team if drawn against a professional team. In every other case, the first-drawn team served as hosts.

Match rules

Teams met in one game per round. Matches took place for 90 minutes, with two halves of 45 minutes each. If still tied after regulation, 30 minutes of extra time was played, consisting of two periods of 15 minutes each. If the score was still level after this, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. A coin toss would decide who took the first penalty.^[14] A maximum of nine players could be listed on the substitute bench, while a maximum of five substitutions were allowed.^[7] However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.^[15] From the round of 16 onward, a video assistant referee was appointed for all DFB-Pokal matches. Though technically possible, VAR was not used for home matches of Bundesliga clubs prior to the round of 16 in order to provide a uniform approach to all matches.^[16]

Suspensions

If a player received five yellow cards in the competition, he was then suspended from the next cup match. Similarly, receiving a second yellow card suspended a player from the next cup match. If a player received a direct red card, they were suspended a minimum of one match, but the German Football Association reserved the right to increase the suspension.^[14]

Champion qualification

The winners of the DFB-Pokal earned automatic qualification for the group stage of next year's edition of the UEFA Europa League. If they had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League through position in the Bundesliga, then the spot would go to the team in sixth place, and the league's second qualifying round spot would go to the team in seventh placr. The winners also hosted the DFL-Supercup at the start of the next season, and faced the champions of the previous year's Bundesliga, unless the same team won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, completing a double. In that case, the runners-up of the Bundesliga would take the spot and host instead.

Schedule

The Olympiastadion in Berlin hosted the final.

All draws were held at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, on a Sunday evening at 18:00 after each round (unless noted otherwise). The draws were televised on ARD's Sportschau, broadcast on Das Erste.^[17]

The rounds of the 2020–21 competition were scheduled as follows:^[1]

Round	Draw date	Matches
First round	26 July 2020	11–14 September 2020[note 11]
Second round	8 November 2020[note 12]	22–23 December 2020[note 13]
Round of 16	3 January 2021	2–3 February 2021
Quarter-finals	7 February 2021	2–3 March 2021[note 14]
Semi-finals	7 March 2021	30 April – 1 May 2021[note 15]
Final		13 May 2021 at Olympiastadion, Berlin[note 16]

Matches

A total of sixty-three matches took place, starting with the first round on 14 August 2020 and culminating with the final on 22 May 2021 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Times up to 25 October 2020 and from 28 March 2021 are CEST (UTC+2). Times from 26 October 2020 to 27 March 2021 are CET (UTC+1).

First round

The draw for the first round was held on 26 July 2020 at 18:30, with Heike Ullrich drawing the matches. As the winners of the Verbandspokal were not yet known, placeholders were used in the draw.^[18] Since SV Rödinghausen could still qualify as both the Westphalian Cup winner and the play-off winner at the time of the draw, the assignment of the two Westphalian teams required an additional draw after both competitions were completed.^[19][20] The second draw, which included RSV Meinerzhagen and SC Wiedenbrück, took place at the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt on 26 August 2020, 10:45, with Renate Lingor drawing the matches.^[21] The thirty-two matches took place from 11 to 14 September, 15 October and 3 November 2020.^[22]

TSV Havelse v Mainz 05

11 September 2020 (2020-09-11)	TSV Havelse	1–5	Mainz 05	Mainz[note 17]
20:45	Plume 17'	Report	Mateta 57', 79', 90' Szalai 77' Quaison 86'	Stadium: Opel Arena Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Arne Aarnink

Eintracht Braunschweig v Hertha BSC

11 September 2020 (2020-09-11)	Eintracht Braunschweig	5–4	Hertha BSC	Braunschweig
20:45	Kobylański 2', 44', 66' Mittelstädt 17' (o.g.) Abdullahi 73'	Report	Lukebakio 23', 83' Cunha 29' Pekarík 65'	Stadium: Eintracht-Stadion Attendance: 500 Referee: Tobias Stieler

FV Engers v VfL Bochum

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	FV Engers	0–3	VfL Bochum	Bochum[note 17]
15:30		Report	Žulj 23' Zoller 52' Pantović 65'	Stadium: Vonovia Ruhrstadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Florian Heft

Union Fürstenwalde v VfL Wolfsburg

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	Union Fürstenwalde	1–4	VfL Wolfsburg	Wolfsburg[note 17][note 19]
15:30	Geurts 9' (pen.)	Report	João Victor 24', 29' Gerhardt 60' Guilavogui 77'	Stadium: AOK-Stadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Robert Schröder

FC Oberneuland v Borussia Mönchengladbach

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	FC Oberneuland	0–8	Borussia Mönchengladbach	Mönchengladbach[note 17]
15:30		Report	Herrmann 12', 13' Hofmann 19' Bensebaini 24' Elvedi 35' Neuhaus 52', 84' Traoré 76'	Stadium: Borussia-Park Attendance: 300 Referee: Sascha Stegemann

RSV Meinerzhagen v Greuther Fürth

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	RSV Meinerzhagen	1–6 (a.e.t.)	Greuther Fürth	Fürth[note 17]
15:30	Wurm 50'	Report	Ernst 72' Green 98' Meyerhöfer 103', 105' Abiama 113', 118'	Stadium: Sportpark Ronhof Thomas Sommer Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Alexander Sather

VSG Altglienicke v 1. FC Köln

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	VSG Altglienicke	0–6	1. FC Köln	Cologne[note 17]
15:30		Report	Hector 17' (pen.) Rexhbeçaj 36', 63' Czichos 43' Özcan 68' Drexler 85'	Stadium: RheinEnergieStadion Attendance: 300 Referee: Martin Thomsen

1. FC Nürnberg v RB Leipzig

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	1. FC Nürnberg	0–3	RB Leipzig	Nuremberg
15:30		Report	Haidara 3' Poulsen 67' Hwang 90'	Stadium: Max-Morlock-Stadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Marco Fritz

SV Todesfelde v VfL Osnabrück

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	SV Todesfelde	0–1	VfL Osnabrück	Todesfelde
15:30		Report	Klaas 77'	Stadium: Joda Sportpark Attendance: 500 Referee: Patrick Ittrich

1860 Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	1860 Munich	1–2	Eintracht Frankfurt	Munich
15:30	Steinhart 78' (pen.)	Report	Silva 51' Dost 56'	Stadium: Städtisches Stadion an der Grünwalder Straße Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Martin Petersen

Eintracht Celle v FC Augsburg

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	Eintracht Celle	0–7	FC Augsburg	Augsburg[note 17]
15:30		Report	Vargas 20' Caligiuri 29' Finnbogason 47' (pen.) Niederlechner 57' Hahn 66' Jensen 88', 90'	Stadium: WWK Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Daniel Schlager

SSV Ulm v Erzgebirge Aue

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	SSV Ulm	2–0	Erzgebirge Aue	Ulm
18:30	Rühle 37' Higl 89'	Report		Stadium: Donaustadion Attendance: 140 Referee: Michael Bacher

FC Ingolstadt v Fortuna Düsseldorf

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	FC Ingolstadt	0–1	Fortuna Düsseldorf	Ingolstadt
18:30		Report	Pledl 80'	Stadium: Audi Sportpark Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Tobias Reichel

Karlsruher SC v Union Berlin

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	Karlsruher SC	0–1 (a.e.t.)	Union Berlin	Karlsruhe
18:30		Report	Schlotterbeck 117'	Stadium: Wildparkstadion Attendance: 450 Referee: Benjamin Cortus

Carl Zeiss Jena v Werder Bremen

12 September 2020 (2020-09-12)	Carl Zeiss Jena	0–2	Werder Bremen	Jena
20:45		Report	Sargent 49' Chong 88'	Stadium: Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld Attendance: 1,600 Referee: Daniel Siebert

TSV Steinbach Haiger v SV Sandhausen

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	TSV Steinbach Haiger	1–2	SV Sandhausen	Haiger
15:30	Marquet 40'	Report	Biada 23', 45+1'	Stadium: Sibre-Sportzentrum Haarwasen Attendance: 670 Referee: Nicolas Winter

SV Elversberg v FC St. Pauli

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	SV Elversberg	4–2	FC St. Pauli	Spiesen-Elversberg
15:30	Schnellbacher 16', 67' Dragon 26' Fellhauer 48'	Report	Knoll 7' Benatelli 78'	Stadium: Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde Attendance: 500 Referee: Timo Gerach

Eintracht Norderstedt v Bayer Leverkusen

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	Eintracht Norderstedt	0–7	Bayer Leverkusen	Leverkusen[note 17]
15:30		Report	L. Bender 4' Amiri 10', 31' Alario 12' Wirtz 21' Aránguiz 30' Schick 77'	Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 300 Referee: Sören Storks

SC Wiedenbrück v SC Paderborn

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	SC Wiedenbrück	0–5	SC Paderborn	Gütersloh[note 20]
15:30		Report	Michel 24' Srbeny 32', 45+1', 58' Führich 83'	Stadium: Heidewald Stadion Attendance: 120 Referee: Frank Willenborg

1. FC Kaiserslautern v Jahn Regensburg

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	1. FC Kaiserslautern	1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p)	Jahn Regensburg	Kaiserslautern
15:30	Kraus 64'	Report	Vrenezi 4'	Stadium: Fritz-Walter-Stadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Sven Waschitzki
	Penalties
	Kraus Hloušek Skarlatidis Pourié Sickinger		Wekesser Gimber Vrenezi Elvedi Palionis

Chemnitzer FC v 1899 Hoffenheim

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	Chemnitzer FC	2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–3 p)	1899 Hoffenheim	Chemnitz
15:30	Freiberger 59' Bickel 100'	Report	Kramarić 48', 111' (pen.)	Stadium: Stadion an der Gellertstraße Attendance: 3,095 Referee: Patrick Hanslbauer
	Penalties
	Grym Müller Freiberger Campulka Bickel		Kramarić Belfodil Gaćinović Bičakčić Baumgartner

1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen v Holstein Kiel

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen	1–7	Holstein Kiel	Kiel[note 17]
15:30	Niedermann 3'	Report	Wahl 15' Serra 19' Lee 22', 24' Bartels 29' Porath 63' Reese 86'	Stadium: Holstein-Stadion Attendance: 500 Referee: Christof Günsch

Hansa Rostock v VfB Stuttgart

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	Hansa Rostock	0–1	VfB Stuttgart	Rostock
15:30		Report	Silas 42'	Stadium: Ostseestadion Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Felix Zwayer

Waldhof Mannheim v SC Freiburg

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	Waldhof Mannheim	1–2	SC Freiburg	Mannheim
18:30	Martinović 56'	Report	Kwon 19' Schmid 79'	Stadium: Carl-Benz-Stadion Attendance: 460 Referee: Markus Schmidt

1. FC Magdeburg v Darmstadt 98

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	1. FC Magdeburg	2–3 (a.e.t.)	Darmstadt 98	Magdeburg
18:30	Müller 14' Beck 26'	Report	Mehlem 53' Kempe 66' Honsak 100'	Stadium: MDCC-Arena Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Manuel Gräfe

Wehen Wiesbaden v 1. FC Heidenheim

13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)	Wehen Wiesbaden	1–0	1. FC Heidenheim	Wiesbaden
18:30	Tietz 61'	Report		Stadium: Brita-Arena Attendance: 250 Referee: Benjamin Brand

Dynamo Dresden v Hamburger SV

14 September 2020 (2020-09-14)	Dynamo Dresden	4–1	Hamburger SV	Dresden
18:30	Stark 3' Becker 16' Daferner 53' Mai 90+5' (pen.)	Report	Onana 89'	Stadium: Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion Attendance: 10,056 Referee: Florian Badstübner

Würzburger Kickers v Hannover 96

14 September 2020 (2020-09-14)	Würzburger Kickers	2–3	Hannover 96	Würzburg
18:30	Feick 89' Herrmann 90+5' (pen.)	Report	Weydandt 23' Kaiser 59' Hübers 78'	Stadium: Flyeralarm Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Patrick Alt

Rot-Weiss Essen v Arminia Bielefeld

14 September 2020 (2020-09-14)	Rot-Weiss Essen	1–0	Arminia Bielefeld	Essen
18:30	Engelmann 33'	Report		Stadium: Stadion Essen Attendance: 300 Referee: Harm Osmers

MSV Duisburg v Borussia Dortmund

14 September 2020 (2020-09-14)	MSV Duisburg	0–5	Borussia Dortmund	Duisburg
20:45		Report	Sancho 14' (pen.) Bellingham 30' Hazard 39' Reyna 50' Reus 58'	Stadium: Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena Attendance: 300 Referee: Robert Kampka

1. FC Düren v Bayern Munich

15 October 2020 (2020-10-15)[note 21]	1. FC Düren	0–3	Bayern Munich	Munich[note 17]
20:45		Report	Choupo-Moting 24', 75' Müller 36' (pen.)	Stadium: Allianz Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Matthias Jöllenbeck

1. FC Schweinfurt v Schalke 04

3 November 2020 (2020-11-03)[note 22]	1. FC Schweinfurt	1–4	Schalke 04	Gelsenkirchen[note 17]
16:30	Thomann 37'	Report	Ibišević 39' Schöpf 44', 81' Raman 86'	Stadium: Veltins-Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Sven Jablonski

Second round

The draw for the second round was held on 8 November 2020 at 18:30, with Inka Grings drawing the matches.^[26] It was originally scheduled for 18 October 2020 at 18:00, but was delayed due to the postponement of one first round match to November 2020.^[27][28] The sixteen matches took place from 22 to 23 December 2020 and from 12 to 13 January 2021.^[29]

SSV Ulm v Schalke 04

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	SSV Ulm	1–3	Schalke 04	Gelsenkirchen[note 17]
18:30	Reichert 82'	Report	Serdar 27' Raman 51', 63'	Stadium: Veltins-Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Daniel Schlager

1. FC Köln v VfL Osnabrück

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	1. FC Köln	1–0	VfL Osnabrück	Cologne
18:30	Modeste 45+1'	Report		Stadium: RheinEnergieStadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Robert Hartmann

FC Augsburg v RB Leipzig

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	FC Augsburg	0–3	RB Leipzig	Augsburg
18:30		Report	Orbán 11' Poulsen 75' Angeliño 82'	Stadium: WWK Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Sascha Stegemann

1899 Hoffenheim v Greuther Fürth

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	1899 Hoffenheim	2–2 (a.e.t.) (6–7 p)	Greuther Fürth	Sinsheim
18:30	Kramarić 13' Akpoguma 49'	Report	Ernst 21' Meyerhöfer 46'	Stadium: PreZero Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Sören Storks
	Penalties
	Kramarić Rudy Skov Adamyan Vogt Bogarde Akpoguma Sessegnon Kasim		Bauer Raum Seguin Sarpei Hrgota Ernst Jaeckel Tillman Meyerhöfer

Eintracht Braunschweig v Borussia Dortmund

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	Eintracht Braunschweig	0–2	Borussia Dortmund	Braunschweig
20:00		Report	Hummels 12' Sancho 90+2'	Stadium: Eintracht-Stadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Benjamin Cortus

SV Elversberg v Borussia Mönchengladbach

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	SV Elversberg	0–5	Borussia Mönchengladbach	Spiesen-Elversberg
20:45		Report	Wolf 5' Bénes 21' Stindl 35' Herrmann 69' Villalba 83' (pen.)	Stadium: Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Markus Schmidt

Dynamo Dresden v Darmstadt 98

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	Dynamo Dresden	0–3	Darmstadt 98	Dresden
20:45		Report	Schnellhardt 24' Paik 59' Dursun 71'	Stadium: Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Sven Jablonski

Union Berlin v SC Paderborn

22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	Union Berlin	2–3	SC Paderborn	Berlin
20:45	Prömel 6' Hünemeier 57' (o.g.)	Report	Michel 3', 36' Srbeny 31'	Stadium: Stadion An der Alten Försterei Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Frank Willenborg

Rot-Weiss Essen v Fortuna Düsseldorf

23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)	Rot-Weiss Essen	3–2	Fortuna Düsseldorf	Essen
18:30	Engelmann 15' Kehl-Gómez 39' Kefkir 70'	Report	Hennings 36', 87' (pen.)	Stadium: Stadion Essen Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Matthias Jöllenbeck

VfL Wolfsburg v SV Sandhausen

23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)	VfL Wolfsburg	4–0	SV Sandhausen	Wolfsburg
18:30	Gerhardt 27' Weghorst 29', 90+1' João Victor 41'	Report		Stadium: Volkswagen Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Guido Winkmann

VfB Stuttgart v SC Freiburg

23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)	VfB Stuttgart	1–0	SC Freiburg	Stuttgart
20:45	Kalajdžić 15'	Report		Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Felix Brych

Wehen Wiesbaden v Jahn Regensburg

23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)	Wehen Wiesbaden	0–0 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p)	Jahn Regensburg	Wiesbaden
20:45		Report		Stadium: Brita-Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Tobias Reichel
	Penalties
	Kempe Tietz Gürleyen Prokop		Wekesser Albers George Opoku

Hannover 96 v Werder Bremen

23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)	Hannover 96	0–3	Werder Bremen	Hanover
20:45		Report	Gebre Selassie 30' Sargent 32' Mbom 60'	Stadium: HDI-Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Manuel Gräfe

Mainz 05 v VfL Bochum

23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)	Mainz 05	2–2 (a.e.t.) (0–3 p)	VfL Bochum	Mainz
20:45	Boëtius 7' Latza 55'	Report	Holtmann 66' Tesche 90+4'	Stadium: Opel Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Martin Petersen
	Penalties
	Szalai Stöger Mateta		Pantović Mašović Ganvoula

Bayer Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt

12 January 2021 (2021-01-12)[note 23]	Bayer Leverkusen	4–1	Eintracht Frankfurt	Leverkusen
20:45	Alario 27' (pen.) Tapsoba 49' Diaby 67', 87'	Report	Younes 6'	Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Christian Dingert

Holstein Kiel v Bayern Munich

13 January 2021 (2021-01-13)[note 24]	Holstein Kiel	2–2 (a.e.t.) (6–5 p)	Bayern Munich	Kiel
20:45	Bartels 37' Wahl 90+5'	Report	Gnabry 14' Sané 47'	Stadium: Holstein-Stadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Robert Schröder
	Penalties
	Wahl Arslan Serra Lee Hauptmann Bartels		Lewandowski Kimmich Müller Alaba Costa Roca

Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 3 January 2021 at 17:30, with Sven Hannawald drawing the matches.^[32] The eight matches took place from 2 to 3 February 2021.^[33]

Rot-Weiss Essen v Bayer Leverkusen

2 February 2021 (2021-02-02)	Rot-Weiss Essen	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Bayer Leverkusen	Essen
18:30	Kefkir 108' Engelmann 117'	Report	Bailey 105'	Stadium: Stadion Essen Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Daniel Schlager

Holstein Kiel v Darmstadt 98

2 February 2021 (2021-02-02)	Holstein Kiel	1–1 (a.e.t.) (7–6 p)	Darmstadt 98	Kiel
18:30	Serra 58'	Report	Dursun 86'	Stadium: Holstein-Stadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Sören Storks
	Penalties
	Wahl Arslan Serra Porath Lee Bartels Hauptmann Kirkeskov Lorenz		Mehlem Dursun Holland Mai Paik Höhn Honsak Rapp Skarke

Werder Bremen v Greuther Fürth

2 February 2021 (2021-02-02)	Werder Bremen	2–0	Greuther Fürth	Bremen
20:45	Möhwald 12' Agu 73'	Report		Stadium: Wohninvest Weserstadion Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Guido Winkmann

Borussia Dortmund v SC Paderborn

2 February 2021 (2021-02-02)	Borussia Dortmund	3–2 (a.e.t.)	SC Paderborn	Dortmund
20:45	Can 6' Sancho 16' Haaland 95'	Report	Justvan 79' Owusu 90+7' (pen.)	Stadium: Signal Iduna Park Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Tobias Stieler

VfL Wolfsburg v Schalke 04

3 February 2021 (2021-02-03)	VfL Wolfsburg	1–0	Schalke 04	Wolfsburg
18:30	Weghorst 40'	Report		Stadium: Volkswagen Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Felix Zwayer

RB Leipzig v VfL Bochum

3 February 2021 (2021-02-03)	RB Leipzig	4–0	VfL Bochum	Leipzig
18:30	Haidara 11' Sabitzer 45+1' (pen.) Poulsen 66', 75'	Report		Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Bastian Dankert

Jahn Regensburg v 1. FC Köln

3 February 2021 (2021-02-03)	Jahn Regensburg	2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)	1. FC Köln	Regensburg
20:45	Kennedy 35' George 43'	Report	Jakobs 4' Dennis 22'	Stadium: Jahnstadion Regensburg Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Robert Hartmann
	Penalties
	Wekesser Gimber Albers Vrenezi Besuschkow		Czichos Özcan Arokodare Meré J. Horn

VfB Stuttgart v Borussia Mönchengladbach

3 February 2021 (2021-02-03)	VfB Stuttgart	1–2	Borussia Mönchengladbach	Stuttgart
20:45	Silas 2'	Report	Thuram 45+1' Pléa 50'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Daniel Siebert

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 7 February 2021 at 18:30, with Boris Herrmann drawing the matches.^[34] The four matches took place from 2 to 3 March and 7 April 2021.^[35]

Borussia Mönchengladbach v Borussia Dortmund

2 March 2021 (2021-03-02)	Borussia Mönchengladbach	0–1	Borussia Dortmund	Mönchengladbach
20:45		Report	Sancho 66'	Stadium: Borussia-Park Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Sascha Stegemann

Rot-Weiss Essen v Holstein Kiel

3 March 2021 (2021-03-03)	Rot-Weiss Essen	0–3	Holstein Kiel	Essen
18:30		Report	Mühling 26' (pen.) Serra 28' Mees 90'	Stadium: Stadion Essen Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Markus Schmidt

RB Leipzig v VfL Wolfsburg

3 March 2021 (2021-03-03)	RB Leipzig	2–0	VfL Wolfsburg	Leipzig
20:45	Poulsen 63' Hwang 88'	Report		Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Marco Fritz

Jahn Regensburg v Werder Bremen

7 April 2021 (2021-04-07)[note 25]	Jahn Regensburg	0–1	Werder Bremen	Regensburg
18:30		Report	Osako 52'	Stadium: Jahnstadion Regensburg Attendance: 0[note 18] Referee: Guido Winkmann

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 7 March 2021 at 18:30, with Bärbel Wohlleben drawing the matches.^[38] The two matches took place on 30 April and 1 May 2021.^[39]

30 April 2021 (2021-04-30)^{[note 26]}

20:30

Werder Bremen	1–2 (a.e.t.)	RB Leipzig
Bittencourt 105+1'	Report	Hwang 93' Forsberg 120+1'

Weser-Stadion, Bremen

Attendance: 0^{[note 18]}

Referee: Manuel Gräfe

---

1 May 2021 (2021-05-01)

20:30

Borussia Dortmund	5–0	Holstein Kiel
Reyna 16', 22' Reus 26' Hazard 32' Bellingham 41'	Report

Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund

Attendance: 0^{[note 18]}

Referee: Christian Dingert

Final

Main article: 2021 DFB-Pokal Final

The final took place on 13 May 2021 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.^[1]

13 May 2021 (2021-05-13)

20:45 CEST

RB Leipzig	1–4	Borussia Dortmund
Olmo 71'	Report	Sancho 5', 45+1' Haaland 28', 87'

Olympiastadion, Berlin

Attendance: 0^{[note 18]}

Referee: Felix Brych (Munich)

Top goalscorers

The following were the top scorers of the DFB-Pokal, sorted first by number of goals, and then alphabetically if necessary.^[41] Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs are not included.

Rank	Player	Team	Goals
1	Jadon Sancho	Borussia Dortmund	6
2	Yussuf Poulsen	RB Leipzig	5
3	Dennis Srbeny	SC Paderborn	4
4	Simon Engelmann	Rot-Weiss Essen	3
	Erling Haaland	Borussia Dortmund
	Patrick Herrmann	Borussia Mönchengladbach
	Hwang Hee-chan	RB Leipzig
	Martin Kobylański	Eintracht Braunschweig
	Andrej Kramarić	1899 Hoffenheim
	Jean-Philippe Mateta	Mainz 05
	Marco Meyerhöfer	Greuther Fürth
	Sven Michel	SC Paderborn
	Benito Raman	Schalke 04
	Giovanni Reyna	Borussia Dortmund
	Janni Serra	Holstein Kiel
	João Victor	VfL Wolfsburg
	Wout Weghorst	VfL Wolfsburg

Notes

1. Since the winners of the DFB-Pokal, Borussia Dortmund, qualified for the Champions League based on their league position, the Europa League group stage spot awarded to the DFB-Pokal winner was passed to the sixth-placed team in the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen.
2. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, each local health department allows a different number of spectators.
3. MSV Duisburg qualified as the fifth-placed team of the 3. Liga as the champions Bayern Munich II were ineligible to participate.
4. The three regions with the most participating teams in their league competitions (Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Westphalia) were allowed to enter two teams for the competition.
5. In addition to the Bavarian Cup winners, the best-placed amateur team of the Regionalliga Bayern also qualified.
6. 1860 Munich qualified regardless of the outcome of the final of the Bavarian Cup, as Würzburger Kickers, the other finalists, already qualified for the DFB-Pokal through their 3. Liga position.
7. In September 2020, Türkgücü München appealed to the Munich district court (Landgericht München I) regarding the Bavarian Football Association's decision to register 1. FC Schweinfurt for the DFB-Pokal as the representative of the Regionalliga Bayern instead of Türkgücü München. This was a result of the extension of the 2019–20 Regionalliga Bayern season until 2021, which saw Türkgücü München promoted in mid-2020, though they did not receive the DFB-Pokal spot reserved for the best-placed amateur team of the league, which was given to the highest-placed team after Türkgücü München left the league, 1. FC Schweinfurt.^[11] On 27 October 2020, the judgement of a Nuremberg arbitral tribunal was pronounced, confirming the position of the Bavarian Football Association to register 1. FC Schweinfurt for the DFB-Pokal.^[12]
8. The Lower Saxony Cup was split into two paths: one for 3. Liga and Regionalliga Nord teams, and the other for amateur teams. The winners of each path qualified.
9. The Saxony-Anhalt Cup was abandoned on 15 July. The Saxony-Anhalt Football Association and the remaining participants agreed to enter 1. FC Magdeburg in the DFB-Pokal.^[13]
10. In addition to the Westphalian Cup winners, the winners of a play-off between the best-placed amateur Westphalian team of the Regionalliga West and the best-placed amateur team of the Oberliga Westfalen also qualified.
11. Originally scheduled from 14–17 August 2020. Due to special circumstances, one match was played on 15 October 2020 and another on 3 November 2020.
12. Originally scheduled for 18 October 2020.
13. Originally scheduled from 27–28 October 2020. Due to special circumstances, two matches were played on 12–13 January 2021.
14. Due to special circumstances, one match was played on 7 April 2021.
15. Originally scheduled from 1–2 May 2021. The dates were subject to possible rescheduling to 20–21 April 2021, in a swap with matchday 30 of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, though this ultimately did not occur.
16. Originally scheduled on 22 May 2021.
17. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and the organisational effort required to host the fixture, the teams exchanged the home rights to the match.^[9][23]
18. The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.
19. The Union Fürstenwalde v VfL Wolfsburg match took place at the AOK-Stadion instead of VfL Wolfsburg's home stadium, the Volkswagen Arena.
20. The SC Wiedenbrück v SC Paderborn match took place at the Heidewald Stadion in Gütersloh instead of SC Wiedenbrück's home stadium, the Jahnstadion in Rheda-Wiedenbrück.
21. The 1. FC Düren v Bayern Munich match, originally scheduled on 11 September 2020, 20:45, was rescheduled to 15 October 2020 following a request by Bayern Munich, as they reached the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final in August and had a heavy schedule in September.^[24]
22. The 1. FC Schweinfurt v Schalke 04 match, originally scheduled on 13 September 2020, 15:30, was postponed on 11 September 2020 due to the legal challenge of Türkgücü München regarding the spot allocated to the representative of the Regionalliga Bayern.^[11] On 27 October 2020, it was announced that the match was rescheduled for 3 November 2020.^[25]
23. The Bayer Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt match, originally scheduled on 23 December 2020, 20:45, was rescheduled to 12 January 2021 following a request by Bayer Leverkusen, as they had a heavy schedule in December.^[30]
24. The Holstein Kiel v Bayern Munich match was scheduled for 13 January 2021, outside the allotted window in the schedule, following a request by Bayern Munich, as they had a heavy schedule in December.^[31]
25. The Jahn Regensburg v Werder Bremen match, originally scheduled on 2 March 2021, 18:30, was postponed to 7 April 2021 after the Jahn Regensburg team were placed into quarantine due to players and staff members of the club testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.^[36][37]
26. The Werder Bremen v RB Leipzig match, originally scheduled on 2 May 2021, 20:30, was rescheduled to 30 April 2021 for undisclosed reasons.^[40]

References

1. "Rahmenterminkalender 2020/2021: Saison startet mit DFB-Pokal" [Framework schedule 2020–21: Season starts with DFB-Pokal]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
2. "DFB-Präsidium verabschiedet Rahmenterminkalender 2020/2021" [DFB executive committee passes framework schedule 2020/2021]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
3. "4:2 gegen Leverkusen: 20. Pokalsieg für den FC Bayern" [4–2 against Leverkusen: 20th cup win for FC Bayern]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
4. "Holstein Kiel 2–2 Bayern Munich (6–5 pens): Second tier side stun German Cup holders". BBC Sport. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
5. "4:1 gegen Leipzig: Dortmund feiert fünften Pokalsieg" [4–1 against Leipzig: Dortmund celebrates fifth cup win]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
6. "Fünf Auswechslungen: DFB verlängert Ausnahmeregelung" [Five substitutions: DFB extends exceptional regulation]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
7. "Durchführungsbestimmungen" [Implementation regulations] (PDF). DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. sec. 31. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
8. "Five-substitute option extended into 2021 in response to COVID-19 pandemic". FIFA. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
9. ""Enormer Organisationsaufwand": Amateurklubs verzichten auf Heim-Spielort" ["Enormous organisational effort": amateur clubs do without a home venue]. kicker (in German). 27 August 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
10. "DFB will Zuschauer bei Pokalspielen" [DFB wants spectators at cup matches]. Sportschau (in German). 31 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
11. "DFB-Pokalspiel zwischen Schweinfurt und Schalke abgesetzt" [DFB-Pokal match between Schweinfurt and Schalke cancelled]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
12. "Entscheidung gefallen: Schweinfurt ist Schalkes Pokalgegner" [Decision taken: Schweinfurt is Schalke's cup opponent]. kicker.de (in German). kicker. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
13. "Pokal-Abbruch in Sachsen-Anhalt: Magdeburg im DFB-Pokal". kicker.de. kicker. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
14. "Modus" [Mode]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
15. "Five substitutes option temporarily allowed for competition organisers". International Football Association Board. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
16. "Pokal ab Achtelfinale mit Video-Assistent" [Pokal from round of 16 with VAR]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
17. "Kehl lost erste Runde in der ARD aus" [Kehl draws the first round on ARD]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
18. "Keller und Ullrich losen erste Pokalrunde aus" [Keller and Ullrich draw first cup round]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
19. "Warum es noch eine zweite DFB-Pokal-Auslosung geben wird" [Why there will be a second DFB-Pokal draw]. kicker.de (in German). kicker. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
20. "Auslosung mal zwei: DFB-Pokal-Gegner und FLVW-Entscheidungsspiel" [Draw times two: DFB-Pokal opponent and FLVW play-off match]. flvw.de (in German). Westphalian Football and Athletics Association. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
21. "Pokalgegner für Paderborn und Greuther Fürth ausgelost" [Cup opponents for Paderborn and Greuther Fürth drawn]. Sport.de. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
22. "FC Bayern trifft auf Pokalsieger Mittelrhein" [FC Bayern meets Middle Rhine Cup winner]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
23. "Für ein Freundschaftsspiel: Schalke und Ulm tauschen Heimrecht" [For a friendly match: Schalke and Ulm exchange home rights]. kicker.de (in German). kicker. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
24. "Auftaktspiel des FC Bayern im Pokal verlegt" [FC Bayern's opening game in the cup postponed]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
25. "Pokalspiel Schweinfurt vs. Schalke angesetzt" [Schweinfurt vs. Schalke cup match scheduled]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
26. "DFB-Pokalwettbewerbe: Inka Grings lost aus" [DFB-Pokal competitions: Inka Grings draws]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
27. "Die Bestimmungen für die erste Pokalrunde" [The provisions for the first cup round]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
28. "Auslosung der 2. Runde erneut verschoben" [Second round draw postponed again]. kicker.de (in German). kicker-sportmagazin. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
29. "2. Runde: FC Bayern reist nach Kiel, Freiburg nach Stuttgart" [Second round: FC Bayern travels to Kiel, Freiburg to Stuttgart]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
30. "Pokalspiel Leverkusen gegen Frankfurt verlegt" [Cup match Leverkusen versus Frankfurt rescheduled]. kicker.de (in German). kicker. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
31. "Bayern-Wunsch erfüllt: Pokalspiel in Kiel wird verlegt" [Bayern wish fulfilled: Cup match in Kiel rescheduled]. kicker.de (in German). kicker. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
32. "Pokalauslosung mit Hannawald am 3. Januar" [Cup draw with Hannawald on 3 January]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
33. "Zwei Bundesligaduelle im Achtelfinale" [Two Bundesliga duels in the round of 16]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
34. "Weltumsegler Boris Herrmann lost DFB-Pokalviertelfinale aus" [Yachtsman Boris Herrmann draws DFB-Pokal quarter-finals]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
35. "Mönchengladbach empfängt den BVB" [Mönchengladbach hosts BVB]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
36. "Jahn in Quarantäne: Viertelfinale Regensburg vs. Bremen abgesagt" [Jahn in quarantine: Regensburg vs. Bremen quarter-final cancelled]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
37. "Viertelfinale Regensburg gegen Bremen wird am 7. April nachgeholt" [Regensburg vs. Bremen quarter-final to be made up on 7 April]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
38. "Bärbel Wohlleben lost Pokalhalbfinale aus" [Bärbel Wohlleben draws cup semi-finals]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
39. "Halbfinale: Kiel reist zum BVB, RB auswärts" [Semi-finals: Kiel travels to BVB, RB away]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
40. "Halbfinale Regensburg/Bremen gegen Leipzig wird verlegt" [Semi-final Regensburg/Bremen versus Leipzig is being rescheduled]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
41. "DFB-Pokal – Torjäger 2020/21" [DFB-Pokal: Goalscorers 2020–21]. kicker.de (in German). kicker-sportmagazin. Retrieved 11 September 2020.

External links

• Official website (in German)
• DFB-Pokal on kicker.de (in German)