Overview
- The fixtures: Dortmund vs Leverkusen; Union Berlin vs Bayern; RB Leipzig vs Magdeburg; Bochum vs Stuttgart; Mönchengladbach vs St. Pauli; Hamburger SV vs Holstein Kiel; Freiburg vs Darmstadt; Hertha BSC vs Kaiserslautern.
- Matches are scheduled for 2–3 December 2025, with quarterfinals in early and mid-February, semifinals on 21–22 April, and the final on 23 May 2026 in Berlin.
- VAR will be in operation from the round of 16 onward after not being used in the earlier rounds.
- The DFB has raised payouts, with €847,544 for last-16 participation and €4.32 million for the final win, bringing the champion’s cumulative take to nearly €11 million.
- The draw was conducted live on ZDF at the German Football Museum, overseen by DFB vice president Peter Frymuth, with Felix van den Hövel selecting the first pairing.