The DFB-Pokal is the most prestigious domestic cup in Germany and is treated as such by the country’s powerhouse clubs. Bayern Munich are the most successful club with 20 titles, but RB Leipzig (two titles) enter the 2025/26 season as the defending champions. Here you can find out football tips and predictions for Germany’s DFB-Pokal.
Unlike England where clubs compete in two domestic knockout tournaments (the FA Cup and League Cup), Germany has only one major cup competition, the DFB-Pokal.
The competition is steeped in history having seen its inaugural season take place in 1935 when Nurnberg claimed the first title in front of 55,000 fans at the Rheinstadion against Schalke 04.
Nearly a century later and the tournament is still going strong, with its reputation well-regarded in Germany among elite clubs, particularly as winning the tournament grants you access to the Europa League.
- Fantastic Promotions
- Fun Social Media Content
- New Bookmaker
#AD 18+ *New customers only. Bet £5+ in a single real-money bet within 7 days of registration to receive £20 in Free Bets and 2 Rocket Odds Boosts, credited within 24 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Free Bets and Rocket Odds Boosts expire 7 days after credit. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org
- Bet £10 get £30
- Great for ESports
- Modern Betting Platform
- Uniquely Designed Sportsbook
#AD 18+ New customers only. Place a £10+ bet at min odds 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £30 in Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
- Enhanced Offers
- Extensive Bet-Builder
- Very Competitive Odds
#AD 18+ New customers: Deposit £10+ within 7 days and place a sports bet. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports Bet). Valid 7 days. Min odds apply. Excludes virtual sports, esports and non-UK/IE horse racing. 18+. T&Cs apply.
- Bet £10 get £40
- Enhanced Offers
- Fantastic Promotions
- Super Fast Withdrawals
#AD 18+ New customers online only. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. Bet a min £/€10 at odds of 1/1 (2.0) across sports or racing within 7 days of registration. Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€10 Free Sports Bet and 2 x £/€5 Bet Builder within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool or sports bet added to bet slip. Voided/non-runner bets will not qualify; subsequent bet will be qualifying bet. 7-day expiry. 18+. One per customer. Selected customers only. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.
Latest DFB-Pokal outright odds
| Club | Sky Bet odds |
Bayer Leverkusen | 5/2 |
| Stuttgart | 9/4 |
Borussia Monchengladbach | 11/2 |
St Pauli | 7/1 |
Hertha Berlin | 10/1 |
Fortuna Dusseldorf | 12/1 |
| Kaiserslautern | 40/1 |
Saarbrucken | 40/1 |
You have to be 18+ to gamble. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing. GambleAware.
DFB-Pokal 2025/26 key dates
| Event | Date |
| Quarter-finals | 30/01/2024 |
| Semi-finals | 02/04/2024 |
| Final | 25/05/2024 |
DFB-Pokal Quarter Final fixtures
Tuesday 30 January 2026
- Saarbrucken vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Wednesday 31 January 2024
- Hertha Berlin vs Kaiserslautern
Tuesday 6 February 2024
- Bayer Leverkusen vs Stuttgart
Wednesday 7 February 2024
- St. Pauli vs Fortuna Dusseldorf
When does Squawka release its DFB-Pokal Predictions?
We aim to give our readers plenty of time to check our betting tips for upcoming DFB-Pokal matches and, as such, we look to get these tips live between 24 and 48 hours before kick-off. However, that time frame can fluctuate on occasion due to fixture congestion.
You’ll find our best tips for the DFB-Pokal on this page during every round, and for the biggest matches we’ll even have specially-picked match previews, written by our Squawka Bet experts who have extensive knowledge of German football.
What betting markets are popular for the DFB-Pokal?
Given the earlier rounds usually match up so-called minnows against Germany’s perennial big boys, the scope for high-scoring affairs is typically more pronounced and commonplace.
Where Europe’s other major footballing nations tend to introduce the heavyweights in the latter phases (the third round for the League Cup and FA Cup for European-competing clubs in England, while some Serie A sides join the Coppa Italia at the Round of 16!), Germany brings everyone in from the start, including Bayern Munich.
As such, your best bet is to look for markets that offer odds for lots of goals, wins to nil and goals in both halves. Bayern, for example, beat Viktoria Cologne 5-0 in Round One last season, Bremer SV 12-0 the campaign prior and Duren 3-0 in 2020/21.
CLAIM HERE. 18+ only. New customers only. Opt in required. 7 day free spin expiry. All free spins will auto play on first eligible game loaded. £10 staking requirement must be met within 30 days of opt in. Eligibility restrictions apply. Further T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
DFB-Pokal Accumulators
As the DFB-Pokal has set weekends and the best clubs in the competition from the start, there are plenty of opportunities to try your hand at football accumulator betting
With accumulator betting, you grow your odds while staking an interest in a multitude of games, perfect for the DFB-Pokal.
However, this season has proven that games can be tough to call, so make sure to keep track of form and follow the research.
Over 2.5 goals
The chances of high-scoring games between the giants of the Cup and the so-called little teams makes this particular betting market a highly attractive one.
As mentioned, with all the big clubs in the mix from the off, the potential for high-scoring games increases, hence the interest in over 2.5 goals scored.
This season alone that have been a handful of victories by at least seven goals, and three last 16 ties had at least four goals scored (including a 3-3 draw)!
‘To go through’ Bets
If you’re a little nervous about making ‘exact’ predictions, this is the market for you.
Of course, winners might be easy to predict on paper, but this season more than most has proven that games are won on the pitch. Who would have predicted some of the results we’ve seen, or bigger teams taking a little more time to get through.
Here you’ll simply bet on which team you think will make it through to the next round, with no pressure on guessing the scorelines, or, indeed, scorers.
DFB-Pokal Inplay betting tips
In play betting has seen a real increase in popularity in recent years, with punters wanting to get involved with the action more than ever. Many firms now offer cash-out bets, live in-play odds and in the case of the DFB-Pokal, you can even watch live matches with some bookmakers as you place your in-play bets – bet365 are particularly on the ball with this feature.
So if you think one of the underdogs has the potential to eliminate a Bundesliga side in the quarter-finals, you can bet on that with a few simple taps of your phone on your chosen app. There are plenty of other markets to choose from when it comes to in-play betting though, including which team will score next, which player will score next, whether there will be a goal before a certain time in the game, and so many more. Sky Bet are among the top bookmakers to offer inplay bets.
Full Time Results
Full time result markets can often offer more to a punter than in straight Bundesliga games. Commonly when opponents are mismatched, you’ll find top-flight teams shuffling the pack and deploying weaker XIs, which could give you the advantage when it comes to backing the opposition, maximising the value of the odds.
In this bet, you’re simply backing which team you believe will win the match and it should not be confused with a correct score bet, where you are betting on the exact full-time scoreline at the end of 90 minutes.
Some of the more recent giantkillings in the DFB-Pokal include:
- 2023/24: Saarbrucken 2-1 Bayern Munich (Round Two)
- 2021/22: Preussen Munster 2-0 Wolfsburg (Round One)
- 2021/22: Babelsberg 2-2 (5-4p) Greuther Furth (Round One)
- 2020/21: Rot-Weiss Essen 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Round of 16)
- 2020/21: Rot-Weiss Essen 1-0 Arminia Bielefeld (Round One)
- 2019/20: Saarbrucken 1-1 (7-6p) Dusseldorf (Quarter-finals)
- 2019/20: Saarbrucken 3-2 Cologne (Round Two)
- 2019/20: Verl 2-1 Augsburg (Round One)
- 2018/19: Ulm 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (Round One)
*Bundesliga clubs in bold
The DFB-Pokal takes place throughout the German football season, starting with Round One in August, welcoming 64 clubs, including the 36 teams from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, while the top 4 finishers of the 3. Liga are also drafted in. The remaining spaces are then dished out to the representatives of the 21 regional associations (Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Saxony, Westphalia, etc), with 24 places up for grabs. These are typically handed to very obscure and often amateur clubs, offering a kaleidoscopic variability of German football.
Best bookmakers for DFB-Pokal Betting
With our DFB-Pokal predictions suggesting a wild and entertaining tournament continuing into the final stages, it may be a good shout to bet and claim your payout early with some of the best bookmakers in the business.
We’ve taken a look at three of the best bookies for DFB-Pokal betting and listed them for you to check out below…
Which other competitions do you offer tips for?
Of course our tips aren’t just limited to the DFB-Pokal. Indeed, we offer tips for Germany’s main attraction, the Bundesliga, as well as other major competitions in Europe like the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain and Serie A in Italy, as well as the Champions League and Europa League.
- Champions League
- Europa League
- League Cup
- Europa League
- Bundesliga
- Serie A
- La Liga
- Championship
- Nations League
DFB-Pokal Offers & Free Bets
The DFB-Pokal throws up some very interesting matches in every round, so you can be sure to find huge boosted odds for new customers and we’ll keep you on top of the latest in the way of these enticing offers here.
Meanwhile, you can always rely on the bookmakers’ free bet offers if none of these price boosts take your fancy, with most sportsbooks offering new customers the chance to increase their playing funds by offering matched deposit bonuses and the likes.
DFB-Pokal Tips FAQ’s
The DFB-Pokal is Germany’s national knockout cup competition, featuring clubs from the Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga and lower divisions battling in single-elimination ties.
Teams face off in one-off matches throughout the tournament. If a game ends in a draw after normal time, it goes to extra time and, if needed, penalties to decide the winner.
Fixtures are scattered through the season, with early rounds usually in the autumn and winter and the final typically held in the spring.
All of our predictions and best bets for DFB-Pokal fixtures are available on this page. Check the match cards above for the latest high-confidence tips.
Our tips are based on statistical analysis, team form, head-to-head data and tactical trends to give readers well-informed predictions.