The 1978–79 season saw the 28th competition for the FDGB-Pokal, the East German national football cup. Starting from the third round, the fixtures were played over two legs, culminating in a one-legged final.
The competition began with three qualifying matches between three second-tier DDR-Liga clubs and three Bezirkspokal finalists. Two of the finalists, Dynamo Gera and BSG Stahl Thale, qualified for the first round.[citation needed]
Of the 6 DDR-Liga teams that had reached the third round, only two survived to reach the quarter-finals, FC Energie Cottbus and BSG Motor Suhl. However, both were then eliminated by last year's finalists 1. FC Magdeburg and Dynamo Dresden, respectively. Dresden went out to Berliner FC Dynamo in the semifinals, while 1. FC Magdeburg went on to reach the final with two wins over 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig.[citation needed]