DFB-Pokal 2020-21 was the 78th season of Germany’s annual football cup competition. Sixty-four teams participated, including all the teams from the previous year’s Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The competition began on September 11, 2020, with the first of six rounds and concluded on May 13, 2021, with the final held at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a neutral venue that has hosted the final since 1985. Originally, the competition was scheduled to start on August 14, 2020, and end on May 22, 2021, but these dates were adjusted due to the postponement of the previous season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most prestigious club title in German football, after the Bundesliga championship. The tournament is organized by the German Football Association (DFB). Borussia Dortmund won the final 4–1 against RB Leipzig for their fifth title.
Champions: 
Borussia Dortmund (5th title)
Runner-up: 
RB Leipzig
Top Goal Scorer: 
Jadon Sancho, 6 goal
DFB-Pokal 2020-21 Round of 16 matches
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 3 January 2021 at 17:30, with Sven Hannawald drawing the matches.
Date Team 1 Result Team 2
2 February 2021 
Rot-Weiss Essen2 – 1 (a.e.t.) 
Bayer Leverkusen
2 February 2021 
Holstein Kiel1 – 1 (a.e.t.)
7 – 6 (penalties)
Darmstadt 98
2 February 2021 
Werder Bremen2 – 0 
Greuther Fürth
2 February 2021 Borussia Dortmund3 – 2 (a.e.t.) 
SC Paderborn
3 February 2021 
VfL Wolfsburg1 – 0 
Schalke 04
3 February 2021 RB Leipzig4 – 0 
VfL Bochum
3 February 2021 
Jahn Regensburg2 – 2 (a.e.t.)
4 – 3 (penalties)
1. FC Köln
3 February 2021 
VfB Stuttgart1 – 2 
Borussia Mönchengladbach
DFB-Pokal 2020-21 Quarter Final matches
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 7 February 2021 at 18:30, with Boris Herrmann drawing the matches.
Date Team 1 Result Team 2 Venue
2 March 2021 Borussia Mönchengladbach0 – 1 Borussia DortmundMönchengladbach
3 March 2021 Rot-Weiss Essen0 – 3 Holstein KielEssen
3 March 2021 RB Leipzig2 – 0 VfL WolfsburgLeipzig
7 April 2021 Jahn Regensburg0 – 1 Werder BremenRegensburg
DFB-Pokal 2020-21 Semi Final matches
The draw for the semi-finals was held on 7 March 2021 at 18:30, with Bärbel Wohlleben drawing the matches.
Date Team 1 Result Team 2 Venue
30 April 2021 Werder Bremen1 – 2 (a.e.t.) RB LeipzigWeser-Stadion, Bremen
1 May 2021 Borussia Dortmund5 – 0 Holstein KielSignal Iduna Park, Dortmund
DFB-Pokal 2020-21 Final match
13 May 2021 20:45 CEST, Olympiastadion, Berlin
| RB Leipzig |
1 – 4 | Borussia Dortmund |
Dani Olmo  71′ |
Sancho 5′, 45+1′ Haaland 28′, 87′ |
DFB-Pokal 2020-21 Top Goal scorers
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Jadon Sancho Borussia Dortmund6
2 
Yussuf Poulsen RB Leipzig5
3 
Dennis Srbeny SC Paderborn4
4 Simon Engelmann Rot-Weiss Essen3
5 
Erling Haaland Borussia Dortmund3
6 Patrick Herrmann Borussia Mönchengladbach3
7 
Hwang Hee-chan RB Leipzig3
8 
Martin Kobylański
Eintracht Braunschweig3
9 
Andrej Kramarić
TSG Hoffenheim3
10 
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Mainz 053
DFB-Pokal 2020-21 Summary
Bundesliga side Bayern Munich were the two-time defending champions, having defeated Bayer Leverkusen 4–2 in the previous final to secure a record 20th title. However, Bayern were knocked out of the competition in the second round by second-division side Holstein Kiel, losing on penalties after a 2–2 draw following extra time.
Borussia Dortmund won the final 4–1 against RB Leipzig, claiming their fifth DFB-Pokal title. As winners, Dortmund participated in the 2021 edition of the DFL-Supercup at the start of the next season, facing the champions of the 2020–21 Bundesliga, Bayern Munich. Additionally, the DFB-Pokal victory granted Dortmund automatic qualification for the group stage of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League. However, since Dortmund had already qualified for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League through their Bundesliga position, the Europa League spot was awarded to the team that finished sixth in the Bundesliga. Consequently, the league’s UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round spot was given to the team that finished seventh.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
On August 31, 2020, the DFB Executive Committee decided to extend the use of five substitutions per match for the 2020–21 season. This rule, initially implemented at the end of the previous season to mitigate the impact of fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, was extended by IFAB until 2021, based on the decision of competition organizers.
Due to the pandemic’s impact in Germany and the significant economic and organizational effort required to host fixtures, including the loss of ticket revenue for matches played behind closed doors, many amateur teams in the competition opted to waive their home rights and allow their opponents to host the matches. The DFB generally permitted spectators if approved by local health departments, though away supporters were not allowed at the start of the competition.
