The 2020–21 DFB-Pokal was the 78th season of the annual German football cup competition. Sixty-four teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The competition began on 11 September 2020 with the first of six rounds and ended on 13 May 2021 with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 1985.[1] The competition was originally scheduled to begin on 14 August 2020 and conclude on 22 May 2021, though this was delayed due to postponement of the previous season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga championship. The DFB-Pokal is run by the German Football Association (DFB).
Bundesliga side Bayern Munich were the two-time defending champions, having defeated Bayer Leverkusen 4–2 in the previous final to clinch a record 20th title.[3] However, Bayern were knocked out of the competition in the second round by second-division side Holstein Kiel, losing on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time.[4]
On 31 August 2020, the DFB Executive Committee decided to extend the use of five substitutions in matches to the 2020–21 season, which was implemented at the end of the previous season to lessen the impact of fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7] The use of five substitutes, based on the decision of competition organisers, had been extended by IFAB until 2021.[8] Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and the high economic and organisational effort required to host the fixture, including loss of ticket revenue for matches behind closed doors, many amateur teams in the competition decided to waive their home rights and exchange the duty of hosting the match with their opponents.[9] The DFB in general allowed spectators if approved by the local health department, though away supporters were not permitted at the start of the competition.[10]
Participating clubs
The following 64 teams qualified for the competition:
Representatives of the regional associations 24 representatives of 21 regional associations of the DFB, qualified (in general) through the 2019–20 Verbandspokal[note 4]
The DFB-Pokal began with a round of 64 teams. The 36 teams of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, along with the top four finishers of the 3. Liga, automatically qualified for the tournament. Of the remaining slots, 21 were given to the cup winners of the regional football associations, the Verbandspokal. The three remaining slots were given to the three regional associations with the most men's teams, which were Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Westphalia. The best-placed amateur team of the Regionalliga Bayern was given the Spot for Bavaria. For Lower Saxony, the Lower Saxony Cup was split into two paths: one for 3. Liga and Regionalliga Nord teams, and the other for amateur teams. The winners of each path qualified. For Westphalia, the winner of a play-off between the best-placed team of the Regionalliga West and Oberliga Westfalen also qualified. As every team was entitled to participate in local tournaments which qualified for the association cups, every team could in principle compete in the DFB-Pokal. Reserve teams and combined football sections were not permitted to enter, along with no two teams of the same association or corporation.[14]
Draw
The draws for the different rounds were conducted as follows:[14]
For the first round, the participating teams were split into two pots of 32 teams each. The first pot contained all teams which qualified through their regional cup competitions, the best four teams of the 3. Liga, and the bottom four teams of the 2. Bundesliga. Every team from this pot was drawn to a team from the second pot, which contained all remaining professional teams (all the teams of the Bundesliga and the remaining fourteen 2. Bundesliga teams). The teams from the first pot were set as the home team in the process.
The two-pot scenario was also applied for the second round, with the remaining 3. Liga and/or amateur team(s) in the first pot and the remaining Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga teams in the other pot. Once again, the 3. Liga and/or amateur team(s) served as hosts. This time the pots did not have to be of equal size though, depending on the results of the first round. Theoretically, it was even possible that there could be only one pot, if all of the teams from one of the pots from the first round had beat all the others in the second pot. Once one pot was empty, the remaining pairings were drawn from the other pot, with the first-drawn team for a match serving as hosts.
For the remaining rounds, the draw was conducted from just one pot. Any remaining 3. Liga and/or amateur team(s) were the home team if drawn against a professional team. In every other case, the first-drawn team served as hosts.
Match rules
Teams met in one game per round. Matches took place for 90 minutes, with two halves of 45 minutes each. If still tied after regulation, 30 minutes of extra time was played, consisting of two periods of 15 minutes each. If the score was still level after this, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. A coin toss would decide who took the first penalty.[14] A maximum of nine players could be listed on the substitute bench, while a maximum of five substitutions were allowed.[7] However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.[15] From the round of 16 onward, a video assistant referee was appointed for all DFB-Pokal matches. Though technically possible, VAR was not used for home matches of Bundesliga clubs prior to the round of 16 in order to provide a uniform approach to all matches.[16]
Suspensions
If a player received five yellow cards in the competition, he was then suspended from the next cup match. Similarly, receiving a second yellow card suspended a player from the next cup match. If a player received a direct red card, they were suspended a minimum of one match, but the German Football Association reserved the right to increase the suspension.[14]
Champion qualification
The winners of the DFB-Pokal earned automatic qualification for the group stage of next year's edition of the UEFA Europa League. If they had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League through position in the Bundesliga, then the spot would go to the team in sixth place, and the league's second qualifying round spot would go to the team in seventh placr. The winners also hosted the DFL-Supercup at the start of the next season, and faced the champions of the previous year's Bundesliga, unless the same team won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, completing a double. In that case, the runners-up of the Bundesliga would take the spot and host instead.
A total of sixty-three matches took place, starting with the first round on 14 August 2020 and culminating with the final on 22 May 2021 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Times up to 25 October 2020 and from 28 March 2021 are CEST (UTC+2). Times from 26 October 2020 to 27 March 2021 are CET (UTC+1).
First round
The draw for the first round was held on 26 July 2020 at 18:30, with Heike Ullrich drawing the matches. As the winners of the Verbandspokal were not yet known, placeholders were used in the draw.[18] Since SV Rödinghausen could still qualify as both the Westphalian Cup winner and the play-off winner at the time of the draw, the assignment of the two Westphalian teams required an additional draw after both competitions were completed.[19][20] The second draw, which included RSV Meinerzhagen and SC Wiedenbrück, took place at the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt on 26 August 2020, 10:45, with Renate Lingor drawing the matches.[21] The thirty-two matches took place from 11 to 14 September, 15 October and 3 November 2020.[22]
The draw for the second round was held on 8 November 2020 at 18:30, with Inka Grings drawing the matches.[26] It was originally scheduled for 18 October 2020 at 18:00, but was delayed due to the postponement of one first round match to November 2020.[27][28] The sixteen matches took place from 22 to 23 December 2020 and from 12 to 13 January 2021.[29]
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 3 January 2021 at 17:30, with Sven Hannawald drawing the matches.[32] The eight matches took place from 2 to 3 February 2021.[33]
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 7 February 2021 at 18:30, with Boris Herrmann drawing the matches.[34] The four matches took place from 2 to 3 March and 7 April 2021.[35]
The draw for the semi-finals was held on 7 March 2021 at 18:30, with Bärbel Wohlleben drawing the matches.[38] The two matches took place on 30 April and 1 May 2021.[39]
The following were the top scorers of the DFB-Pokal, sorted first by number of goals, and then alphabetically if necessary.[41] Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs are not included.
^Since the winners of the DFB-Pokal, Borussia Dortmund, qualified for the Champions League based on their league position, the Europa League group stage spot awarded to the DFB-Pokal winner was passed to the sixth-placed team in the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen.
^MSV Duisburg qualified as the fifth-placed team of the 3. Liga as the champions Bayern Munich II were ineligible to participate.
^The three regions with the most participating teams in their league competitions (Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Westphalia) were allowed to enter two teams for the competition.
^1860 Munich qualified regardless of the outcome of the final of the Bavarian Cup, as Würzburger Kickers, the other finalists, already qualified for the DFB-Pokal through their 3. Liga position.
^In September 2020, Türkgücü München appealed to the Munich district court (Landgericht München I) regarding the Bavarian Football Association's decision to register 1. FC Schweinfurt for the DFB-Pokal as the representative of the Regionalliga Bayern instead of Türkgücü München. This was a result of the extension of the 2019–20 Regionalliga Bayern season until 2021, which saw Türkgücü München promoted in mid-2020, though they did not receive the DFB-Pokal spot reserved for the best-placed amateur team of the league, which was given to the highest-placed team after Türkgücü München left the league, 1. FC Schweinfurt.[11] On 27 October 2020, the judgement of a Nurembergarbitral tribunal was pronounced, confirming the position of the Bavarian Football Association to register 1. FC Schweinfurt for the DFB-Pokal.[12]
^Originally scheduled from 27–28 October 2020. Due to special circumstances, two matches were played on 12–13 January 2021.
^Due to special circumstances, one match was played on 7 April 2021.
^Originally scheduled from 1–2 May 2021. The dates were subject to possible rescheduling to 20–21 April 2021, in a swap with matchday 30 of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, though this ultimately did not occur.
^The Union Fürstenwalde v VfL Wolfsburg match took place at the AOK-Stadion instead of VfL Wolfsburg's home stadium, the Volkswagen Arena.
^The SC Wiedenbrück v SC Paderborn match took place at the Heidewald Stadion in Gütersloh instead of SC Wiedenbrück's home stadium, the Jahnstadion in Rheda-Wiedenbrück.
^The 1. FC Düren v Bayern Munich match, originally scheduled on 11 September 2020, 20:45, was rescheduled to 15 October 2020 following a request by Bayern Munich, as they reached the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final in August and had a heavy schedule in September.[24]
^The 1. FC Schweinfurt v Schalke 04 match, originally scheduled on 13 September 2020, 15:30, was postponed on 11 September 2020 due to the legal challenge of Türkgücü München regarding the spot allocated to the representative of the Regionalliga Bayern.[11] On 27 October 2020, it was announced that the match was rescheduled for 3 November 2020.[25]
^The Bayer Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt match, originally scheduled on 23 December 2020, 20:45, was rescheduled to 12 January 2021 following a request by Bayer Leverkusen, as they had a heavy schedule in December.[30]
^The Holstein Kiel v Bayern Munich match was scheduled for 13 January 2021, outside the allotted window in the schedule, following a request by Bayern Munich, as they had a heavy schedule in December.[31]
^The Jahn Regensburg v Werder Bremen match, originally scheduled on 2 March 2021, 18:30, was postponed to 7 April 2021 after the Jahn Regensburg team were placed into quarantine due to players and staff members of the club testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.[36][37]
^The Werder Bremen v RB Leipzig match, originally scheduled on 2 May 2021, 20:30, was rescheduled to 30 April 2021 for undisclosed reasons.[40]
