DFB Pokal

The DFB-Pokal (Deutscher Fußball-Bund-Pokal) or German Cup is the most important football competition amongst men’s German club teams after the Bundesliga championship. It is held once a year, with 64 teams, 36 from the Bundesliga and2nd Budesliga and 28 from the amateur clubs, from all over Germany participating in the competition. The amateur teams which qualify for the competition are the winners and runner up of the three smaller regional tournaments. Names are drawn in order to determine which team has the home advantage. The final stage of the competition has been held at Olympic Stadium in Berlin ever since 1985.

The competition began in 1934-1935 season as FC Nurenberg defeated FC Schalke 04 in the final by a score of 2-0 in the final at Düsseldorf. During World War 2 the tournament was recalled due to political reasons. It was reinstated in 1952, under its current name DFB-Poka. At the same time East Germany also had its own national cup, FDGB Pokal. When German got unified as a country in 1990, so did the two competitions and leagues.

The most recent winner of the competition is FC Bayern Munich as they defeated Borussia Dortmund by a score of 2-1. Bayern Munich also has won the competition the most out of any club teams in Germany, with a total of 14 victories. SV Werder Bremen has the second most quantity of wins in the competition with 5 and 3 runner ups.

The DFB-Pokal - A Trophy worth fighting for

The prize for winning the DFB-Pokal is a trophy which weighs 12.5 pounds and has the name of the winning club engraved in it. It made out of hot gold plated sterling silver. The DFB emblem is located in the middle of the trophy. The material value to the DFB-Pokal trophy is about 100,000 Euros.