Overview
- The 64‑team DFB‑Pokal opens with the first round scheduled to start 21 August 2026, with most fixtures played 21–24 August and a few moved to 1–2 September due to the Supercup schedule.
- Pay‑TV provider Sky will show every match live while ARD, ZDF and RTL share a small free‑to‑air slate of about 15 games per season, leaving many early ties behind a subscription paywall.
- The DFB announced two operational changes for this season: VAR will be used from the second round onward and a multi‑ball system will be introduced to speed up match flow.
- Small clubs face heavy logistical work to host top teams as illustrated by VfB Krieschow, which is building a temporary 4,000‑seat stadium with volunteer labor, has sold about 60% of tickets and received roughly €215,000 from the association to cover costs.
- The competition keeps its David‑vs‑Goliath appeal with high‑profile mismatches in round one — examples include St. Tönis v Eintracht Frankfurt, Waldhof Mannheim v Kaiserslautern, Energie Cottbus v FC Augsburg and Krieschow v Mainz 05 — and the schedule runs through a final on 29 May 2027 in Berlin.