German team emerges victorious in the competition, claiming the title as the first to do so.
2025/2026 DFB-Pokal First Round Kicks Off in August
The 2025/2026 DFB-Pokal, Germany's prestigious football cup competition, is set to commence in August, with the first round scheduled from the 15th to the 18th, and the later stages on the 26th and 27th of the same month [1][2][3].
The action will begin on August 15, with DSC Arminia Bielefeld taking on SV Werder Bremen at 8:15 PM [4]. Arminia Bielefeld, a second division promoted team and Pokal finalist, recently eliminated a first division team from Bremen in the quarter-finals of the previous Pokal season [5]. The game will be commentated by Martin Schneider on the Bielefelder Alm [6].
Meanwhile, Jochen Breyer will host the ZDF broadcast of the first Pokal evening of the 2025/2026 season [1]. Hanno Balitsch will serve as the ZDF football expert, and Oliver Schmidt will provide commentary for the game.
Other notable fixtures of the first round include Borussia Mönchengladbach's 3-2 victory over Atlas Delmenhorst in a repeat of a historic matchup, played at Marschweg-Stadion in Oldenburg [2][5]. Additionally, Schalke, Greuther Fürth, Kaiserslautern, Holstein Kiel, Augsburg, Karlsruhe, and FC Köln are among the Bundesliga clubs participating in the first round [2].
The later first-round matches, including Bayern Munich's encounter with third division team SV Wehen Wiesbaden, will be broadcast by ZDF on August 27 at 8:15 PM [1][4]. Lili Engels will host the broadcast, with Christoph Kramer as the ZDF football expert and Oliver Schmidt commenting the game.
Following the final whistle, highlights of a large number of matches from the first round of the DFB-Pokal 2025/2026 will be available for viewing on the ZDF streaming portal at sportstudio.de and on ZDFheute [7]. The Saturday and Sunday highlights will include BFC Dynamo vs. VfL Bochum, FK 03 Pirmasens vs. Hamburger SV, FC Engers vs. Eintracht Frankfurt, and FC Viktoria Köln vs. SC Paderborn [7].
As the competition progresses, subsequent rounds are scheduled as follows: the second round on October 28-29, 2025 (draw on August 31); the round of 16 on December 2-3, 2025 (draw on November 2); the quarter-finals on February 3-4 and 10-11, 2026 (draw on December 7); the semi-finals on April 21-22, 2026 (draw on February 15); and the final on May 23, 2026 at Olympiastadion Berlin [1][2][3].
Detailed lineups and match reports for individual games, such as Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Atlas Delmenhorst, are available, providing insights into injury absences and tactical setups [5].
In summary, the first round of the DFB-Pokal 2025/2026 is set to be an exciting affair, with key Bundesliga teams participating, TV highlights on ZDF, and full progression mapped to a final in May 2026 in Berlin [1][2][3][4][5].
[1] https://www.dfb.de/de/dfb-pokal/2025-2026/ [2] https://www.sport1.de/fussball/bundesliga/dfb-pokal-2025-2026-terminplan-offizieller-terminplan-der-1.fc-union-berlin-gegen-fc-guetersloh-050-18-08-2025-13-00-15066827.html [3] https://www.kicker.de/news/dfb-pokal/dfb-pokal-2025-2026/dfb-pokal-1-runde-terminplan-und-gruppenspiele-im-overview-1116488 [4] https://www.sport1.de/fussball/bundesliga/dfb-pokal-2025-2026-terminplan-offizieller-terminplan-der-fc-bayern-muenchen-gegen-sv-wehen-wiesbaden-18-08-2025-20-15-15066831.html [5] https://www.sport1.de/fussball/bundesliga/dfb-pokal-2025-2026-spielplan-und-ergebnisse-im-overview-1116489 [6] https://www.sport1.de/fussball/bundesliga/dfb-pokal-2025-2026-terminplan-offizieller-terminplan-der-dsc-arminia-bielefeld-gegen-sv-werder-bremen-15-08-2025-20-15-15066826.html [7] https://www.sport1.de/fussball/bundesliga/dfb-pokal-2025-2026-terminplan-offizieller-terminplan-der-bfc-dynamo-gegen-vf-bochum-18-08-2025-15-30-15066829.html
The first round of the DFB-Pokal 2025/2026 will see DSC Arminia Bielefeld, a second division promoted team and Pokal finalist, competing in a football match against SV Werder Bremen. This game, which will be held from Magdeburg, promises to be an interesting sports-analysis due to Arminia Bielefeld's recent victory over a first division team from Bremen during the quarter-finals of the previous Pokal season.
