The DFB-Pokal, also known as the German Cup in English, is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga along with the four best teams from the 3. Liga. It is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga championship. Taking place from August until May, the winner qualifies for the DFL-Supercup and the UEFA Europa League unless the winner already qualifies for the UEFA Champions League in the Bundesliga.
The Bundesliga, sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga or 1. Bundesliga, is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary football competition. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga. Seasons run from August to May. Games are played on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. All of the Bundesliga clubs take part in the DFB-Pokal cup competition. The winner of the Bundesliga qualifies for the DFL-Supercup.
The German Football Association is the governing body of football, futsal, and beach soccer in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and is in charge of the men's and women's national teams. The DFB headquarters are in Frankfurt am Main. Sole members of the DFB are the German Football League, organising the professional Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga, along with five regional and 21 state associations, organising the semi-professional and amateur levels. The 21 state associations of the DFB have a combined number of more than 25,000 clubs with more than 6.8 million members, making the DFB the single largest sports federation in the world.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen II was the reserve team of German football club Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Until 2005, the team played as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Amateure.
The South West Cup is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football. The winner of the competition gains entry to the first round of the German Cup. It is limited to clubs from the Rheinhessen-Pfalz region of Rhineland-Palatinate, however, teams from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga are not permitted to compete. It is one of two cup competitions in the state, the other being the Rhineland Cup, which covers roughly the northern half of the state.
The Rhineland Cup is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football. The winner of the competition gains entry to the first round of the German Cup. It is limited to clubs from the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate, however, teams from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga are not permitted to compete. It is one of two cup competitions in the state, the other being the South West Cup, which covers roughly the southern half of the state.
The Saarland Cup is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football. The winner of the competition gains entry to the first round of the German Cup. It is limited to clubs from Saarland, however, teams from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga are not permitted to compete.
The Bremer Pokal is an annual football cup competition, held by the Bremer Fußball-Verband. It is one of the 21 regional cup competitions in Germany and a qualifying competition for the German Cup, with the winner of the competition being automatically qualified for the first round of the German Cup in the following season. For sponsorship reasons, the competition is known as the Lotto-Pokal.
The Hamburger Pokal is an annual football cup competition, shortly known as Hamburg pokal, held by the Hamburger Fußball-Verband since 1982. For sponsorship reasons, the official name of the competition is ODDSET-Pokal. It is one of the 21 regional cup competitions in Germany and a qualifying competition for the German Cup, with the winner of the competition being automatically qualified for the first round of the German Cup in the following season.
The Lower Saxony Cup is an annual football cup competition, held by the Niedersächsischer Fußball-Verband since 1956. For sponsorship reasons, the official name of the competition is Krombacher-Pokal. The Krombacher brewery, sponsor of the competition since 2010, also sponsored, at the time, the cup competitions in Thuringia, Westphalia, Hesse and Rhineland. It is one of the 21 regional cup competitions in Germany and a qualifying competition for the German Cup, with the winner and runners-up of the competition being automatically qualified for the first round of the German Cup in the following season.
The Middle Rhine Cup is a German football club Cup competition open to teams from the Lower Rhine region of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The competition is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football and acts as a qualifier to the following seasons' German Cup.
A Verbandspokal is a regional men's association football competition in Germany. There are 21 Verbandspokal competitions which function as qualifying tournaments for the following season's DFB-Pokal, the premier German Cup competition. Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs are not permitted to enter as they are already directly qualified for the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
The 2013–14 Verbandspokal, consisting of twenty one regional cup competitions, the Verbandspokale, was the qualifying competition for the 2014–15 DFB-Pokal, the German Cup.
The 2014–15 Verbandspokal, consisting of twenty one regional cup competitions, the Verbandspokale, is the qualifying competition for the 2015–16 DFB-Pokal, the German Cup.
The 2015–16 Verbandspokal, consisted of twenty one regional cup competitions, the Verbandspokale, was the qualifying competition for the 2016–17 DFB-Pokal, the German Cup.
The 2016–17 DFB-Pokal was the 74th 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 the 2. Bundesliga. It began on 19 August 2016 with the first of six rounds and ended on 27 May 2017 with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 1985. 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).
The 2017–18 Verbandspokal, consisted of twenty one regional cup competitions, the Verbandspokale, the qualifying competition for the 2018–19 DFB-Pokal, the German Cup.
The 2018–19 Verbandspokal, consisted of twenty-one regional cup competitions, the Verbandspokale, the qualifying competition for the 2019–20 DFB-Pokal, the German Cup.
The 2019–20 Verbandspokal, consisted of twenty-one regional cup competitions, the Verbandspokale, the qualifying competition for the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal, the German Cup.
The 2021–22 Verbandspokal consisted of twenty-one regional cup competitions, the Verbandspokale, the qualifying competition for the 2022–23 DFB-Pokal, the German Cup.
