Dramatic cup encounters: Hertha and Union face tricky duels!

Dramatic cup encounters: Hertha and Union face tricky duels!

The tension is rising! On June 15, 2025, the first round matches in the DFB Cup were announced, which are of great importance for football in Berlin and Brandenburg. A look at the lineups shows that five teams from the region are taking part in the cup competition.

Hertha BSC will face league rivals SC Preußen Münster, against whom they lost both duels in the previous season. Given their last cup experience, when Hertha failed in the round of 16 after extra time against 1. FC Köln, the team will have to give everything to avoid being eliminated early. How Berlin Live reports, the pressure is great, especially after last season's disappointing encounters.

The teams from the region

Also taking part is 1. FC Union Berlin, which will play against regional league team FC Gütersloh. Union has never won in the history of the DFB Cup, but was able to reach the final as runner-up in 2001. Last season the team failed in the semi-finals against RB Leipzig, which only fuels their ambition.

Energie Cottbus will face a special challenge as they play against Hannover 96 in the first round. Cottbus qualified for the cup through fourth place in the 3rd league, but has to be careful because in the last eight cup rounds the team failed in round one. The team is now hoping for a better performance than in previous years.

A highlight is the debut of RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf, who qualified for the DFB Cup for the first time after winning the Brandenburg State Cup. They welcome the second division team 1. FC Kaiserslautern, which brings an exciting challenge for the Stahnsdorf team. The DFB's first-round bonus is around 200,000 euros, a nice motivation for the players who want to give their best now.

The cup round in detail

The 32 games of the first round will take place from August 15th to 18th, 2025, with exceptions for the Supercup participants, who will take part in the action on August 16th, 2025. The two top teams Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart will play their first rounds on August 26th and 27th, 2025. The dates for the further rounds are as follows: The second round will take place on October 28th and 29th, the round of 16 on December 2nd and 3rd, 2025, the quarter-finals on February 3rd, 4th and 10th and 11th, 2026 and the semi-finals on April 21st and 22nd, 2026. The final will finally be held in the Berlin Olympic Stadium on May 23, 2026, where the best teams will fight for the coveted title.

There is great anticipation for the first encounters, and the fans of the teams involved can look forward to exciting games. Be there when it says: “Off to the cup adventure”!