DFB-Pokal 2019-20 was the 77th season of the annual German football cup competition. Sixty-four teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year’s Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The competition began on 9 August 2019 with the first of six rounds and concluded on 4 July 2020 with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a neutral venue that has hosted the final since 1985. The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most important club title in German football, after the Bundesliga championship, and is run by the German Football Association (DFB).
The defending champions were Bayern Munich, a Bundesliga team, who had defeated RB Leipzig 3–0 in the previous final.
Champions: Bayern Munich (20th title)
Runner-up: Bayer Leverkusen
Top Goal Scorer: Robert Lewandowski, 6 goal
DFB-Pokal 2019-20 Round of 16 matches
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 3 November 2019 at 18:00, with Turid Knaak drawing the matches.
Date Team 1 Result Team 2
4 February 2020 Eintracht Frankfurt 3–1 RB Leipzig
4 February 2020 1. FC Kaiserslautern 2–5 Fortuna Düsseldorf
4 February 2020 Schalke 04 3–2 (a.e.t.) Hertha BSC
4 February 2020 Werder Bremen 3–2 Borussia Dortmund
5 February 2020 Bayer Leverkusen 2–1 VfB Stuttgart
5 February 2020 SC Verl 0–1 Union Berlin
5 February 2020 Bayern Munich 4–3 1899 Hoffenheim
5 February 2020 1. FC Saarbrücken 0–0 (a.e.t.)
5–3 (penalties) Karlsruher SC
DFB-Pokal 2019-20 Quarter Final matches
Date Team 1 Result Team 2 Venue
3 March 2020 1. FC Saarbrücken 1–1 (a.e.t.)
7–6 (penalties) Fortuna Düsseldorf Völklingen
3 March 2020 Schalke 04 0–1 Bayern Munich Gelsenkirchen
4 March 2020 Bayer Leverkusen 3–1 Union Berlin Leverkusen
4 March 2020 Eintracht Frankfurt 2–0 Werder Bremen Frankfurt
DFB-Pokal 2019-20 Semi final matches
Date Team 1 Result Team 2 Venue
9 June 2020 1. FC Saarbrücken 0–3 Bayer Leverkusen Hermann-Neuberger-Stadion, Völklingen
10 June 2020 Bayern Munich 2–1 Eintracht Frankfurt Allianz Arena, Munich
DFB-Pokal 2019-20 Final match
4 July 2020 20:00 CEST, Olympiastadion, Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen | 2–4 | Bayern Munich |
S. Bender 64′ Havertz 90+5′ (pen.) |
Alaba 16′ Gnabry 24′ Lewandowski 59′, 89′ |
DFB-Pokal 2019-20 Top Goal scorers
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich 6
2 Rouwen Hennings Fortuna Düsseldorf 4
3 Lucas Alario Bayer Leverkusen 3
4 Robert Andrich Union Berlin 3
5 Makana Baku Holstein Kiel 3
Summary
Bayern Munich successfully defended their title, winning their 20th DFB-Pokal by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 4–2 in the final. With this victory, Bayern completed their second consecutive and 13th overall domestic double. As a result, they hosted the 2019–20 Bundesliga runners-up, Borussia Dortmund, in the 2020 DFL-Supercup, a change from the previous format where the cup winners would have played away.
Since Bayern qualified for the Champions League through their Bundesliga performance, the sixth-place team, 1899 Hoffenheim, secured a spot in the group stage of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League. Additionally, the Europa League second qualifying round spot originally designated for the DFB-Pokal winners went to the seventh-place Bundesliga team, VfL Wolfsburg.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
On 27 March 2020, the German Football Association (DFB) indefinitely postponed the semi-finals of the competition, which were originally scheduled for 21 and 22 April, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. On 24 April, the DFB also indefinitely postponed the final, which was originally scheduled for 23 May, aiming to complete the competition by 30 June 2020.
On 11 May 2020, the DFB Executive Committee approved the resumption of the competition, subject to political approval, using a hygiene concept similar to that implemented by the DFL in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The semi-finals took place on 9 and 10 June, while the final was held on 4 July 2020. However, the remaining matches were played behind closed doors without spectators. Additionally, five substitutions were allowed for the remaining matches following a proposal from FIFA and approval by IFAB, intended to mitigate the impact of fixture congestion.