Bayer 04 had a long wait to discover their opponents in the first round of the DFB Cup: When Palina Rojinski pulled out the 62nd of 64 balls, Heiko Herrlich's team were drawn against Oberliga side CfR Pforzheim for in the first competitive match of the new campaign.
This will be the first ever game between Bayer 04 and Pforzheim. The club from central Baden was established in 2010 following the merger of VfR Pforzheim and FC Pforzheim. The club has been in the Baden-Württemberg Oberliga since promotion in 2015. The team coached by Gökhan Gökce finished thirteenth last season.
Pforzheim qualified for the DFB Cup as finalists of the Baden State Cup. CfR lost 6-5 on penalties but went through as the winners Karlsruher SC, last season's first round opponents for the Werkself, qualify for the national cup competition as a third division club.
The first round ties in the DFB Cup will played from 17-20 August with the final details of the fixtures to be confirmed.
DFB Cup Round One draw in full:
SV Linx (Verbandsliga) v FC Nürnberg (Bundesliga)
SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Division 3) v FC St. Pauli (Bundesliga 2)
SV Rödinghausen (Regional League West) v Dynamo Dresden (Bundesliga 2)
FC Magdeburg (Bundesliga 2) v SV Darmstadt 98 (Bundesliga 2)
FC Lok Stendal (Oberliga) v Arminia Bielefeld (Bundesliga 2)
TuS Erndtebrück (Oberliga) v Hamburg SV (Bundesliga 2)
TSV Steinbach (Regional League South West) v FC Augsburg (Bundesliga)
TuS Rot-Weiß Koblenz (Oberliga) v Fortuna Düsseldorf (Bundesliga)
SpVgg Greuther Fürth (Bundesliga 2) v Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
TSV 1860 München (Division 3) v Holstein Kiel (Bundesliga 2)
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (Regional League West) v SV Sandhausen (Bundesliga 2)
Erzgebirge Aue (Bundesliga 2) v FSV Mainz 05 (Bundesliga)
Weiche Flensburg 08 (Regional League North) v VfL Bochum (Bundesliga 2)
BSG Chemie Leipzig (Oberliga) v Jahn Regensburg (Bundesliga 2)
SV Elversberg 07 (Regional League South West) v VfL Wolfsburg (Bundesliga)
TuS Dassendorf (Oberliga) v MSV Duisburg (Bundesliga 2)
FC Schweinfurt 05 (Regional League Bavaria) v Schalke 04 (Bundesliga)
BFC Dynamo (Regional League North) v FC Köln (Bundesliga 2)
Wormatia Worms (Regional League South West) v Werder Bremen (Bundesliga)
SV Drochtersen/Assel (Regional League North) v Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)
SSV Jeddeloh II (Regional League North) v FC Heidenheim (Bundesliga 2)
FC Kaiserslautern (Division 3) v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Bundesliga)
Viktoria Köln (Regional League West) v RB Leipzig (Bundesliga)
Carl Zeiss Jena (Division 3) v FC Union Berlin (Bundesliga 2)
SC Paderborn (Bundesliga 2) v FC Ingolstadt (Bundesliga 2)
BSC Hastedt (Oberliga) v Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga)
Energie Cottbus (Division 3) v SC Freiburg (Bundesliga)
Karlsruher SC (Division 3) v Hannover 96 (Bundesliga)
Eintracht Braunschweig (Division 3) v Hertha Berlin (Bundesliga)
Hansa Rostock (Division 3) v VfB Stuttgart (Bundesliga)
CfR Pforzheim (Oberliga) v Bayer 04
SSV Ulm (Regional League Bavaria) v Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga)
Key dates in 2018/2019 DFB Cup:
Round 2: 30/31 October 2018
Round of 16: 5/6 February 2019
Quarter-finals: 2/3 April 2019
Semi-finals: 23/24 April 2019
Final: 25 May 2019
Bayer 04 are away at Hoffenheim for Bundesliga Matchday 3 on Saturday, 14 September. Here’s all you need to know ahead of today’s game at the PreZero Arena, which kicks off at 3.30pm CEST.
Show more
After two away games at the start of the 2024/25 season, the Bayer 04 Women's team now have their first match of the campaign on home turf. The team led by head coach Roberto Pätzold entertain last season's third-place finishers Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, 15 September (kick-off: 14.00 CEST).
Show more
For the Werkself, attention now turns to the forthcoming challenge in the Bundesliga following the international break. Bayer 04 are away to TSG Hoffenheim on matchday three on Saturday, 14 September (kick-off: 1530 CEST). Ahead of the clash at the PreZero Arena, head coach Xabi Alonso talked about the short time to prepare, the opponents and his own squad.
Show more
Loreen Bender and Sofie Zdebel are through to the quarter-finals of the U20 World Cup with Germany in Colombia. Both Bayer 04 players started in the 5-1 victory over Argentina with Bender scoring one goal and providing an assist.
Show more
A farewell to former Werkself head coach Christoph Daum at a big memorial service on Thursday afternoon. Bayer 04, VfB Stuttgart and FC Köln took part in a joint memorial event at the Rhein Energie Stadion in Cologne. Amongst the many guests from the world of sport and the circles of family and friends was sporting managing director Simon Rolfes. Daum, who led the Werkself to three runners-up finishes and three UEFA Champions League campaigns between 1996 and 2000, passed away at the age of 70 at the end of August.
Show more