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About DFB Pokal
The DFB-Pokal is Germany's national cup, a single-leg knockout from the first round all the way to the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Its defining rule is the draw: when a lower-division or amateur club is pulled against a Bundesliga side, the smaller club hosts. That sends Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen to packed regional grounds against opponents with nothing to lose, and it is why the Pokal produces more genuine upsets than most European cups. Bayern are the record winners by a distance.
How to Predict DFB Pokal Matches
Every round of the DFB-Pokal is decided on the night: no replays, no away goals, no two-legged semi-finals. Level after ninety minutes means extra time, then penalties. The field is drawn from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga plus qualifiers from the regional cups, so the first round is full of ties between professional giants and clubs several tiers down. The final has been played in Berlin since 1985 and doubles as a national occasion, with both sets of supporters taking over the city for the weekend.
What makes the DFB-Pokal different to predict?
The home-advantage rule for the smaller club. A Bundesliga side away at a third-tier team on a tight pitch in front of a hostile crowd is a far messier proposition than the league table suggests, and cup ties routinely stay level far longer than expected. That shifts the value in half result and next team to score, and it makes correct score picks lower-scoring than most people's instinct.
Do DFB-Pokal ties go to extra time?
Yes. Every round is a single match, and if it is level after ninety minutes it goes to extra time and then penalties if needed. There are no replays and no second legs anywhere in the competition, including the semi-finals. Worth remembering when you are predicting: CalledItMate settles predictions on the ninety-minute result, so a tie that is eventually decided from the spot still counts as a draw.
When do DFB-Pokal matches kick off?
Pokal rounds are played midweek, usually across Tuesday and Wednesday, with kick-offs at 18:00 and 20:45 CET, and the first round is spread over a longer weekend block in August because of the number of ties. The final is an early-evening Saturday kick-off in Berlin in May. CalledItMate shows every fixture in your local time zone and the match lobby opens 30 minutes before kick-off.
