DFB-Pokal 2020-21 Champions, matches, fact and achievement

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 Essen	2 – 1 (a.e.t.)	Bayer Leverkusen
2 February 2021	Holstein Kiel	1 – 1 (a.e.t.) 7 – 6 (penalties)	Darmstadt 98
2 February 2021	Werder Bremen	2 – 0	Greuther Fürth
2 February 2021	Borussia Dortmund	3 – 2 (a.e.t.)	SC Paderborn
3 February 2021	VfL Wolfsburg	1 – 0	Schalke 04
3 February 2021	RB Leipzig	4 – 0	VfL Bochum
3 February 2021	Jahn Regensburg	2 – 2 (a.e.t.) 4 – 3 (penalties)	1. FC Köln
3 February 2021	VfB Stuttgart	1 – 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 Mönchengladbach	0 – 1	Borussia Dortmund	Mönchengladbach
3 March 2021	Rot-Weiss Essen	0 – 3	Holstein Kiel	Essen
3 March 2021	RB Leipzig	2 – 0	VfL Wolfsburg	Leipzig
7 April 2021	Jahn Regensburg	0 – 1	Werder Bremen	Regensburg

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 Bremen	1 – 2 (a.e.t.)	RB Leipzig	Weser-Stadion, Bremen
1 May 2021	Borussia Dortmund	5 – 0	Holstein Kiel	Signal 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 Dortmund	6
2	Yussuf Poulsen	RB Leipzig	5
3	Dennis Srbeny	SC Paderborn	4
4	Simon Engelmann	Rot-Weiss Essen	3
5	Erling Haaland	Borussia Dortmund	3
6	Patrick Herrmann	Borussia Mönchengladbach	3
7	Hwang Hee-chan	RB Leipzig	3
8	Martin Kobylański	Eintracht Braunschweig	3
9	Andrej Kramarić	TSG Hoffenheim	3
10	Jean-Philippe Mateta	Mainz 05	3

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.