The goal is the final in Cologne: The quarter-finals of the women’s DFB Cup are coming up – with a big favorite, a clear outsider and many special features surrounding the four games.
On May 9th, the DFB Cup final will take place again in the 1. FC Köln stadium. Eight teams can have hopes, but they first have to get through the quarter-finals on the way there. Eight facts about the cup quarter-finals.
Special feature: Parallel kick-off times
Unlike their male colleagues, the DFB scheduled the four matches in Sinsheim, Jena, Leverkusen and Frankfurt at the same time. They will be played simultaneously on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
The quarterfinals at a glance:
1899 Hoffenheim – VfL Wolfsburg
Carl Zeiss Jena – Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen – SGS Essen
Eintracht Frankfurt – MSV Duisburg
That’s what it’s all about: the women’s DFB Cup
VfL Wolfsburg: Can the series winner be stopped?
This is a series that is rare: VfL Wolfsburg has not lost in the DFB Cup competition for more than ten years. The Wolfsburg team suffered their last defeat to date on November 13, 2013 against 1. FFC Frankfurt. The subscription winner from the Autostadt has since achieved nine cup successes in a row and now wants number ten. But a walk certainly won’t be the next hurdle.
In the Bundesliga game against TSG in October last year, VfL was on the verge of defeat. Hoffenheim led 2-0 at the break before Dominique Janssen and captain Alexandra Popp prevented a defeat with their goals in the 89th minute.
Outsider Jena Viewership record
FC Carl Zeiss Jena is the only second division team to be represented in the quarter-finals and drew a big draw from the pot: the current Bundesliga table leader Bayern Munich is coming to Thuringia and is also attracting the fans. More than 2,000 tickets have already been sold in advance. The traditional club is now hoping for up to 3,000 visitors. That would be a new club record.
The previous attendance record for a home game for the Jena footballers was a while ago. On April 3, 2010, 2,713 spectators saw the 3-0 victory of FF USV Jena, Carl Zeiss’s predecessor club, against SG Essen-Schönebeck.
Bayer runs into the arena
Special moment for Bayer 04 women: They are playing in the BayArena for the second time in the club’s history after 2009. Otherwise, the venerable Ulrich Haberland Stadium is their venue. 15 years ago the opponent also came from the west – FCR Duisburg. Leverkusen lost 2-0 in the large stadium – although slightly favored – against the eventual cup winners FCR 2001 Duisburg.
Now an old friend from the West is also coming, SGS Essen. And this time there should be a win. Ultimately, the women want to emulate the Werkself men and maintain their chance of winning a title this season.
Last year’s finalist is watching
Last year’s finalists SC Freiburg (1:4 against Wolfsburg in the final) had already reached the round of 16 this season. The Breisgau women lost 1:2 to Eintracht Frankfurt. RB Leipzig, a semi-finalist last year, is no longer there, as are two other Bundesliga teams: Werder Bremen and 1. FC Köln.
For another first division team it was already over in the second round of the cup: 1. FC Nürnberg surprisingly lost to second division Carl-Zeiss Jena.
Duel with a nostalgic character in Frankfurt
The duel between Frankfurt and Duisburg brings back memories of glorious times – also in the DFB Cup. The two teams met four times, four times the then 1. FFC Frankfurt won against the then FCR Duisburg, big names in German women’s football.
The Frankfurt women made it to the final against the “Zebras” twice, and in 2003 and 2007 they were even able to take the trophy back to the Main with their final victory over the Duisburg women. This time there is a lot of nostalgia when the current Bundesliga third-placed team from the Main plays against the bottom-placed team from the Rhine.
Kerstin Garefrekes (l.) from 1. FFC Frankfurt during the Bundesliga game between Frankfurt and FCR 2001 Duisburg. Right: Annike Krahn
Biggest win for Arminia Bielefeld
The highest victory in the competition so far was celebrated by a third division team: Arminia Bielefeld from the Regionalliga West won 13-1 at Rostocker FC from the Regionalliga Nordost in the first round, which is played without Bundesliga teams. In the second round it was over for Bielefeld – 1:6 against MSV Duisburg. The second-highest win so far goes to 1. FC Köln, who won 10-0 against SFC Stern 1900 from Berlin Steglitz.
The grand finale in Cologne
The final of the DFB Women’s Cup will take place for the 15th time in the Cologne stadium on May 9, 2024 and will continue to be played in Cologne until at least 2025. Last year, 44,808 spectators attended the final in Cologne between VfL Wolfsburg and SC Freiburg. It was a record crowd for a women’s final. Will this number even be exceeded this year?