Bayern to host Hertha in the Cup round of 16 – BVB head to Frankfurt

On Sunday evening, the draw for the round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal took place in Dortmund. The record holders and defending champions from Munich will host second-division leaders Hertha, whilst BVB must travel to Frankfurt.

For 16 teams, the dream of reaching the final in Berlin began to take shape this week. The favourites to retain the title are undoubtedly record champions Bayern Munich, who put in a commanding 6–1 performance against second-division side Magdeburg on Wednesday evening. The Bundesliga leaders now face an eighth-final tie at home against the unbeaten second-division leaders, Hertha BSC.

This was the result of the draw on Sunday evening at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. Markus Gaugisch, the current head coach of the women’s national handball team, acted as the draw master. The women’s team will kick off the European Championship on 4 December, which is being held across a total of five countries.

For challengers Borussia Dortmund, who had narrowly beaten Werder Bremen, Gaugisch drew Eintracht Frankfurt as their opponents. BVB must travel to the Main for a rematch of the 2017 DFB Cup final. Last year’s finalists, VfB Stuttgart, will host Dynamo Dresden, who knocked Schalke out of the competition. Things are also set to get lively when the cup specialists from Leipzig travel to Leverkusen.

Only three second-division sides are playing at home

Of the six second-division sides, only three – Kaiserslautern (against Freiburg), Kiel (against Cologne) and Bochum (against Augsburg) – will play at home. The ‘problem’ here is that, since the second round, the draw has been conducted freely without a seeding list, and only teams below the 2. Bundesliga would have automatically enjoyed home advantage. Third-division side Rot-Weiss Essen (1–2 against Leipzig) and regional league side SSV Jeddeloh II (0–2 against Hertha) had, however, failed to make it through to the last 16.

The last 16 will be played on 1 and 2 December – in almost exactly one month’s time. The four quarter-finals will then take place on 2–3 and 9–10 February 2027, before the semi-finals are played on 20–21 April. The Berlin Olympic Stadium remains the venue of choice, where the final will be held on 29 May 2027, one week after the last Bundesliga matchday.