Overview

• RWE will host BVB at Stadion an der Hafenstraße from August 15 to 18 for the opening round of the 2025–26 DFB-Pokal.
• Supporters are divided between enthusiasm for a high-profile Ruhr derby and disappointment over forgoing a more beatable opponent.
• The two clubs’ enduring fan friendship promises a festive atmosphere rather than a heated rivalry.
• A live free-to-air broadcast could boost RWE’s marketing and revenue under the DFB-Pokal’s equal TV rights distribution model.
• A faction of supporters has proposed moving the match to Dortmund’s larger Signal-Iduna-Park to maximize gate receipts, although RWE retains home-field advantage.