News blog about 1. FC Cologne
DFB Cup: 1. FC Köln has to go to Würzburg
Updated June 6, 2026 – 8:11 p.mReading time: 40 mins.
1. FC Köln managed to stay in the Bundesliga. In the news blog on t-online you will find all the important news about the Geißbockheim.
DFB Cup: FC has to go to Würzburg
The 1. FC Cologne will play against the Würzburger Kickers in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Cup. This was the result of the draw on Saturday evening in Dortmund. FC came out of the draw as the very last of the 64 teams.
The Würzburgers were only promoted to the 3rd league via relegation as second in the Bavarian Regional League. It will be the very first duel between the two teams – FC and the Kickers have never met in a competitive game.
Ouédraogo instead of El Mala
Said El Mala has to be patient. Julian Nagelsmann did not nominate the 19-year-old from 1. FC Köln for the 2026 World Cup. As a result of Lennart Karl’s injury, El Mala had hopes of replacing FC Bayern’s talent at the World Cup and taking his place in the squad.
However, on the night from Friday to Saturday it became known that Nagelsmann had re-nominated Assan Ouédraogo from RB Leipzig. The variable midfielder cannot be used as offensively as Karl and El Mala, but he should help Germany with his dynamism and positional variability.
El Mala, on the other hand, is experiencing his second World Cup disappointment after being the second best German goalscorer in the last Bundesliga season and was not named by Nagelsmann in the World Cup squad.
FC signs talent from RB Leipzig
1. FC Köln has signed Lionel Voufack. The 18-year-old left-back is moving from RB Leipzig to Geißbockheim, but is not initially intended for the professionals. Voufack most recently played for the Red Bulls’ U19s and will be developed for the professionals at FC via the U21s.
“We are very pleased that Lionel has chosen 1. FC Köln,” said Lukas Berg, who is the technical director for the U21 team at FC. “He brings enormous dynamism and high speed to the left lane and therefore fits in very well with our footballing orientation.”
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FC is also looking for the left-back position among the professionals. This position is currently not filled following Kristoffer Lund’s departure. The Billy Goats plan to sign two left-backs in the summer. Voufack, however, is initially sorted into the U21 and is supposed to recommend himself for the Bundesliga via the regional league.