The women’s DFB Cup starts at the weekend – even if the big favorites only start later.
Which teams are playing
48 teams have qualified in total, but not all play from the start. Only 32 clubs are in the first round, all Bundesliga clubs from the previous season and the four best clubs in the 2nd Bundesliga have a bye. These 16 clubs will meet the winning clubs from the 1st round in the 2nd round of the competition.
In the 1st and 2nd round, the clubs are divided into two groups of the same size, which are put together according to regional criteria. This avoids long journeys. From the round of 16, this procedure does not apply. The draw for the first round was made at the end of May by Sabine Mammitzsch, DFB Vice President for women and girls’ football.
| meeting | home | Guest |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., 1 p.m | ATS Buntentor (RL) | Hamburger SV (RL) |
| Sun., 11 a.m | Rostocker FC (RL) | FSV Gütersloh (2nd BL) |
| Sun., 1 p.m | Magdeburg FFC (RL) | SpVg Berghofen (RL) |
| Sun., 2 p.m | Türkiyemspor Berlin (RL) | Eimsbüttel TV (RL) |
| Sun., 2 p.m | VfL Jesteburg (RL) | Henstedt-Ulzburg (RL) |
| Sun., 2 p.m | Steel Brandenburg (4) | Victoria Berlin (RL) |
| Sun., 3 p.m | VfR Warbeyen (RL) | Bor. Bocholt (RL) |
| Monday, 6 p.m | Holstein Kiel (RL) | VfL Bochum (RL) |
* 2. BL = 2. Bundesliga, RL = regional league, 4 = fourth-rate association/state leagues
| meeting | home | Guest |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., 3 p.m | Saalfeld Titans (4) | Karlsruhe SC (RL) |
| Sun., 11 a.m | SV Weinberg (RL) | SC Bad Neuenahr (RL) |
| Sun., 11 a.m | Fortuna Cologne (RL) | Chemnitz FC (4) |
| Sun., 11 a.m | 1. FC Riegelsberg (RL) | 1. FC Nuremberg (BL) |
| Sun., 1 p.m | Jahn Calden (RL) | Alemannia Zahringen (4) |
| Sun., 2 p.m | SV Elversberg (RL) | 1. FFC Niederkirchen (RL) |
| Sun., 2 p.m | 1. FC Saarbruecken (RL) | SV Hegnach (RL) |
| Sun., 3 p.m | Wacker Munich (RL) | FC Ingolstadt (BL) |
In principle, all teams from the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga of the previous season are eligible to participate, as well as the 21 state cup winners, those promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga and the champions of the five regional leagues. Second teams are not allowed.
Who are the favorites
On paper, the three second division teams FSV Gütersloh, 1. FC Nürnberg and FC Ingolstadt have the best chance of reaching the second round. All three play against third or fourth tier teams.
In the further course of the VfL Wolfsburg is the almost usual top favorite. The “wolves” won the cup eight times in a row. The last cup winners before VfL Wolfsburg were the women of 1. FFC Frankfurt in 2014 – which has since been transferred to Eintracht Frankfurt as a women’s section. Next to the runners-up from Bayern Munich, Frankfurt is likely to be the strongest competition for Wolfsburg.
The players of VfL Wolfsburg celebrate the DFB Cup victory in May 2022.
Who are the biggest misfits
Under the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga there are five seasons of the third-class regional league (North, Northeast, West, Southwest, South) in the German league system.
But four teams even come from the fourth division in the competition. The Rostocker FC 1895 (Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), the Saalfeld Titans (Verbandsliga Thuringia), TSV Alemannia Freiburg-Zähringen (Verbandsliga Südwest) and Chemnitzer FC (Landesliga Sachsen) are formally the most unlikely winners.
There were a few surprises in the women’s cup: Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, as a club from the then second-rate regional league, defeated four Bundesliga clubs in 1991 and also won the final against champions TSV Siegen (1-0). In 1999, second division team Hertha Zehlendorf made it to the semi-finals.
The players of Grün-Weiß Brauweiler celebrate the 1991 DFB Cup victory in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
When to play
After the first round, things continue in September, with the round of sixteen taking place at the end of November. The final will take place in Cologne for the 13th time.
- 1st Round: August 20-22, 2022
- 2nd round: September 10-12, 2022
- Round of 16: November 19-21, 2022
- Quarterfinals: February 28th/February 1st March 2023
- Semifinals: 15./16. April 2023
- Final: May 18, 2023 in Cologne
The final will stay in Cologne until at least 2025, the DFB and the city of Cologne extended the contract by three more years at the end of July. “Cologne is the ideal location for hosting our women’s DFB Cup final. I am very pleased that we are continuing on this path.”said DFB Vice President Mammitzsch.
What to consider when it comes to home law
There is a special rule in the women’s cup. Up to and including the quarter-finals, the lower-class club always has home rights. Exceptions are games between two clubs below the 2nd Bundesliga, where the team drawn first always has home rights.
Such a procedure has often been called for by the men, for example when the draw resulted in a home game for Bayern Munich against a second division team – so far in vain.