The round of 16 in the men’s DFB Cup will be drawn next Sunday.
When exactly will the draw take place?
The tickets will be drawn live on Sunday (November 2nd) as part of the “ZDF sports report” (broadcast begins at 5:55 p.m.). The draw will take place at the German Football Museum in Dortmund.
How is the lottery drawn?
A total of 16 clubs will take part. In contrast to the 1st and 2nd main round, there is only one draw pot.
The team drawn first has home advantage in a match. If a club that plays below the 2nd Bundesliga meets a team from the two Bundesligas, it automatically has home advantage.
When will the further rounds take place?
- Round of 16: 2nd/3rd December 2025
- Quarterfinals: 3rd/4th and 10/11. February 2026
- Semi-finals: 21st/22nd April 2026
- Final in Berlin: May 23, 2026
Which teams are there?
The winners of the following matches in the 2nd main round reach the round of 16:
| Home | Guest | Date |
|---|---|---|
VfL Wolfsburg (BL) | Holstein Kiel (2BL) | Tuesday, 6:30 p.m |
Hertha BSC (2BL) | SV Elversberg (2BL) | Tuesday, 6:30 p.m |
1. FC Heidenheim (BL) | Hamburger SV (BL) | Tuesday, 6:30 p.m |
Eintracht Frankfurt (BL) | Borussia Dortmund (BL) | Tuesday, 6:30 p.m |
Energy Cottbus (3L) | RB Leipzig (BL) | Tuesday, 8:45 p.m |
FC St. Pauli (BL) | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (BL) | Tuesday, 8:45 p.m |
FC Augsburg (BL) | VfL Bochum (2BL) | Tuesday, 8:45 p.m |
Borussia Mönchengladbach (BL) | Karlsruher SC (2BL) | Tuesday, 8:45 p.m |
FV Illertissen (RL) | 1. FC Magdeburg (2BL) | Wed., 6 p.m |
SpVgg Greuther Fürth (2BL) | 1. FC Kaiserslautern (2BL) | Wed., 6 p.m |
SC Paderborn (2BL) | Bayer 04 Leverkusen (BL) | Wed., 6 p.m |
1. FSV Mainz 05 (BL) | VfB Stuttgart (BL) | Wed., 6 p.m |
1. FC Union Berlin (BL) | Arminia Bielefeld (2BL) | Wed., 8:45 p.m |
SV Darmstadt 98 (2BL) | FC Schalke 04 (2BL) | Wed., 8:45 p.m |
Fortuna Dusseldorf (2BL) | SC Freiburg (BL) | Wed., 8:45 p.m |
1. FC Cologne (BL) | FC Bayern Munich (BL) | Wed., 8:45 p.m |
BL = Bundesliga, 2BL = 2nd Bundesliga, 3L = 3rd league, RL = Regional League
The first will broadcast the game between 1. FC Cologne and Bayern Munich in the 2nd main round live on Wednesday (October 29, 2025, broadcast starts at 8:15 p.m.). There are audio live streams and live tickers for all other games.
How much money can the clubs make?
The DFB has slightly increased the bonuses in the DFB Cup compared to the previous season. Whoever reaches the 2nd main round is guaranteed 1,483,202 euros. Whoever wins the cup will collect almost eleven million euros.
| round | Amount |
|---|---|
1st main round | 211,886 |
2nd main round | 423,772 |
Round of 16 | 847,544 |
Quarterfinals | 1,695,088 |
Semifinals | 3,390,175 |
Loser final | 2,880,000 |
Winner final | 4,320,000 |
The clubs have to share the money from ticket sales and perimeter advertising after deducting all costs and taxes. Ten percent of this income also goes to the DFB, so each club receives 45 percent of this money.
What else can the clubs achieve?
The winner of the DFB Cup has the right to start in the European league phase the following season League. Is the DFB Cup winner already over the Bundesliga for them? Champions League or the Europe League qualified, the place goes to the Bundesliga, where it is then distributed according to the final table.
The losing finalist of the DFB Cup final cannot benefit under any circumstances.
The Europa League trophy