"Our aim is to solve this challenge. As the favourites, we will go into this away match with maximum respect and focus. Our target is clearly to go through to the next round," said Achim Feifel, Bayer 04 Women's team sporting director.
Following the last first round tie between the two second division clubs FSV Gütersloh 2009 and FC Union Berlin (2-3 on penalties) the former Germany international Verena Schweers under the guidance of the two-time World Cup winner Renate Lingor drew the 16 knockout games. The twelve top-flight sides from the 2023/24 season plus the two teams promoted from the Women's Bundesliga 2 had a bye in the first round. The 32 teams were divided into North and South regional groups.
The Round of 16 will be held between 22 and 24 November with the quarter-finals following on 11 to 13 February 2025. The semi-finals will be played on 22 and 23 March 2025 with the final again being staged at the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne as in previous years, this time on 1 May 2025.
The Werkself are currently in the final phase of their pre-season. The last friendly against Fortuna Sittard will be played on Friday, 23 August (kick-off: 14.00 CEST) at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre with four 30 minute quarters. The team led by coach Roberto Pätzold start the new Bundesliga campaign week later with an away game at SC Freiburg on 31 August (kick-off: 14.00 CEST). That will be followed by the second round tie in the DFB Pokal. The full summer itinerary for the Women can be found HERE.
DFB POKAL SECOND ROUND TIES
Arminia Bielefeld vs Werder Bremen
FC Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig
SV Meppen vs FC Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Viktoria Berlin vs FFC Turbine Potsdam
DJK Wacker Mecklenbeck vs SGS Essen
Hertha Berlin vs VfL Wolfsburg
MSV Duisburg vs Hamburg SV
Kieler MTV vs VfL Bochum
Karlsruher SC vs Bayer 04
FC Nürnberg vs SC Freiburg
SC Sand vs Bayern Munich
FFV Erfurt vs Eintracht Frankfurt
SV Hegnach vs TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs FC Köln
FSV Mainz 05 vs Kickers Offenbach
SC Fortuna Köln vs SV 67 Weinberg
Bayer 04 host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 host Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena on matchday 14 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
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“As far as mentality and determination are concerned, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for,” Robert Andrich said up after the first home defeat for the Werkself this term. In terms of their play, too, the Black and Reds put in a respectable performance for long stretches of this intense and physical match, outperforming VfB Stuttgart in most areas. It was only in terms of efficiency in front of goal that the Swabians had the edge over the Werkself. Head coach Carles Martínez wants to learn from this so that, in future, they can “win this sort of match too”. The Werkself review.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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