Following the last play-off match between Regional League Borussia Dortmund and second division Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-1), former Germany international Turid Knaak drew the 16 matches with the draw led by Maren Meinert, the Germany Women's team assistant coach. The first round proper was drawn from two pots. The 16 winners of the play-off matches were in pot one and were drawn at home. The teams from the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga plus Turbine Potsdam and SC Sand from the Women's Bundesliga 2 were in pot two.
The winners of the 16 ties qualify for the Round of 16 with those matches played between 15 and 17 November. The quarter-finals follow on 11 and 12 March 2026 before the four remaining teams meet in the semi-finals from 4 to 6 April 2026. The final will be played on Ascension Day, 14 May 2026, at the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne as usual.
The Leverkusen Women are currently away at their training camp in Rieden in Bavaria (17 to 23 August) preparing for the new season. The team led by coach Roberto Pätzold play league rivals VfL Wolfsburg in a friendly on Friday, 22 August (14:00 CEST, Stadion Grüne Au, Hof, live stream on Werkself TV and on the Bayer 04 app). Following the return to Leverkusen, there is a final friendly against the Belgian club Standard Liège on Saturday, 30 August (16:00 CEST, 3 x 45 minutes, Kurtekotten). The new Bundesliga season kicks off a week later on Saturday, 6 September (17:45 CEST, live on ARD, Magenta Sport and DAZN) with the official opening fixture away to the champions Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
DFB POKAL FIRST ROUND DRAW
SV Meppen vs SC Sand
SV 07 Elversberg vs Bayer 04
BSG Chemie Leipzig vs FC Carl Zeiss Jena
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich
SG 99 Andernach vs RB Leipzig
FC Magdeburg vs Hamburg SV
SC Viktoria Hamburg vs Werder Bremen
FC Ingolstadt vs FC Nürnberg
Hannover 96 vs SC Freiburg
ATS Buntentor vs VfL Wolfsburg
Kickers Offenbach vs SGS Essen
Viktoria Berlin vs Eintracht Frankfurt
VfR Warbeyen vs FC Köln
FFC Montabaur vs FFC Turbine Potsdam
SpVgg Greuther Fürth vs TSG Hoffenheim
FSV Mainz 05 vs FC Union Berlin
We are taking the Day of German Unity and the anniversary as an opportunity to tell a story that befits the subject - that of Falko Götz. The long-serving player, who currently works in scouting at Bayer 04, spoke to bayer04.de about his youth in the GDR, his escape during an away game in Belgrade and how he identifies with Bayer 04.
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With seven points from five games, Union Berlin have made a decent start to the season. Particularly in the wins against VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt, the Irons, who are otherwise known for their strong defence, impressively demonstrated they also have a lot to offer in attack. They will be looking to prove this once again at the BayArena on Saturday, 4 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST, match on Sky and highlights on DAZN). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Derby time in the Rhineland! After a successful September, the Bayer 04 Women are away to FC Köln on Sunday, 4 October. In the Bundesliga match kicking off at 18:30 CEST at the Franz Kremer Stadium (live on MagentaSport and DAZN), coach Roberto Pätzold is counting on the return of a number of players who have been absent through injury.
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Bayer 04 have extended the contract with Argentinian World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios with his current contract due to run out in the summer of 2028. The midfielder, currently unavailable due to injury, has signed a new contract with the Bundesliga club that runs to 30 June 2030.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Axel Tape for the time being.
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