
The second round will be played on Tuesday 26 October and Wednesday 27 October. Exact fixture details will be announced in due course. Then the start of ticket sales will be released.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes: "KSC are an interesting opponent, a team with ambition in the second division. We are at home and we want to live up to our role as favourites."
Head coach Gerardo Seoane: "I'm looking forward to this game as the cup competition is something special. Of course, we face certain expectations as the higher placed club. But we also have them ourselves. The next round is the clear target and that's how we want to approach the game against Karlsruhe from the start."
While the Werkself and KSC have played each other 34 times in the Bundesliga the two sides have only meant once before in the DFB Cup. That was a first-round tie at the Wildpakstadion on 11 August 2017. KSC had just been relegated from the second division but performed well and took the game to extra time with a certain amount of luck. Bayer 04 were then able to turn their visual superiority into goals on the scoreboard. Dominik Kohr, Joel Pohjanpalo and Leon Bailey netted the goals in a 3-0 win. The Werkself went through to the second round and only went out of the cup competition at the semi-final stage against Bayern Munich.
Preußen Münster vs Hertha BSC
Waldhof Mannheim vs Union Berlin
VfL Osnabrück vs SC Freiburg
SV Babelsberg vs RB Leipzig
1860 München vs Schalke 04
Hannover 96 vs Fortuna Düsseldorf
VfL Bochum vs FC Augsburg
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Bayern Munich
Dynamo Dresden vs FC St. Pauli
TSG Hoffenheim vs Holstein Kiel
Jahn Regensburg vs Hansa Rostock
FC Nürnberg vs Hamburg SV
FSV Mainz 05 vs Arminia Bielefeld
VfB Stuttgart vs FC Köln
Borussia Dortmund vs FC Ingolstadt
Round of 16: 18 and 19 January 2022
Quarter-finals: 1 and 2 March
Semi-finals: 19 and 20 April
Final: 21 May in Berlin

Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
Show more
Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
Show more
Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
Show more
In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
Show more