The 2020–21 DFB-Pokal was the 41st 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 19 September 2020 with the first of six rounds and ended on 30 May 2021 with the final at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010.[1] The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most important club title in German women's football after the Bundesliga championship. The DFB-Pokal is run by the German Football Association (DFB).
The defending champions were Frauen-Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg, after they defeated SGS Essen in the previous final.[2]
Wolfsburg went on to win the title for the seventh consecutive time, after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 1–0 in the final.[3]
On 31 August 2020, the DFB Executive Committee decided to extend the use of five substitutions in matches (with a sixth allowed in extra time) 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.[4] The use of five substitutes, based on the decision of competition organisers, had been extended by IFAB until 2021.[5]
The following 52 clubs qualified for the competition:
Baden
Bavaria
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg
Hesse
Lower Rhine
Lower Saxony
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Middle Rhine
Rhineland
Saarland
Saxony
Saxony-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
South Baden
Southwest
Thuringia
Westphalia
Württemberg
Clubs from lower leagues will host against clubs from higher leagues until the quarter-finals. Should both clubs play below the 2. Bundesliga, there will be no host club change anymore. In the first round, the matches are split into a "North" and "South" zone.
The rounds of the 2020–21 competition are scheduled as follows:[1]
The draw was made on 25 August 2020.[9][10] The matches were played on 19, 20, 26 and 27 September 2020.
The draw was made on 1 October 2020.[11][12] The matches were played on 31 October and 1 November 2020.
The draw was made on 8 November 2020.[15][16] The matches were played on 5 and 6 December 2020 and in early 2021.
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 3 January 2021.[18][19] The matches took place from 19 to 21 March 2021.[1]
The draw was held on 28 February 2021.[20][21] The matches took place on 3 and 4 April 2021.[1]
Assistant referees:[23] Vanessa Arlt Jacqueline Herrmann Fourth official:[23] Susann Kunkel
Match rules[24]