DFB-Pokal round of 16 set: Bayern host Hertha on 1 December, Dortmund play Frankfurt on 2 December

Fixtures for 1 and 2 December

The German Football Association (DFB) has published the kick-off times for the round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal, which will be played over two days with four ties on each. On Tuesday, 1 December, Bayern Munich, the defending champions, host Hertha BSC, the leaders of the 2. Bundesliga, at 20:45. At the same time, SV Darmstadt 98 travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach. The earlier kick-offs at 18:00 that evening bring VfB Stuttgart against Dynamo Dresden and Holstein Kiel against 1. FC Köln. Every tie is a knockout match, and the winners will move on to the quarter-finals.

On Wednesday, 2 December, Bayer Leverkusen meet RB Leipzig and 1. FC Kaiserslautern play SC Freiburg, both at 18:00. Later that evening, Eintracht Frankfurt host Borussia Dortmund at 20:45, while FC Augsburg travel to VfL Bochum at the same time. Kaiserslautern's home match at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion is among the ties without free-to-air coverage.

Earlier rounds

Bayern reached this stage with a 4:1 win over VfL Osnabrück in the first round and a 6:1 victory against 1. FC Magdeburg in the second. Augsburg beat Energie Cottbus 2:0 and Sonnenhof Großaspach, both lower-ranked opponents, on their way to this round. Kaiserslautern beat its league rival Hannover 96 2:0 in the second round. The Pfälzer side last reached the final in 2024, when it lost 0:1 to Bayer Leverkusen.

Broadcasting

Sky holds the DFB-Pokal rights and shows every match live, including all round-of-16 ties, on its channels and on the Wow streaming platform. Free-to-air viewers get three of the eight ties. RTL carries Bayern against Hertha on 1 December at 20:45, ZDF shows Leverkusen against Leipzig at 18:00 on 2 December, and ARD takes Frankfurt against Dortmund at 20:45 the same evening. The Kaiserslautern and Bochum ties are not among the free-to-air matches and will be seen only on Sky. The DFB-Pokal stays with Sky for the 2026/2027 season.

Clubs and the next stage

Five clubs from North Rhine-Westphalia are in the round of 16, and two of the free-to-air ties involve them: Leverkusen against Leipzig on ZDF and Frankfurt against Dortmund on ARD. Each of the eight ties decides which side advances, and the pairings for the next stage will be known after the matches on 1 and 2 December. The quarter-finals follow in the new year, scheduled for 2 to 10 February. The competition then runs on to the final in Berlin.