DFB Cup tickets: prices, information and news

The cup has its own laws. That’s one of the rules of German football. And year after year, smaller clubs from the second or even third division provide surprises, while professional clubs from the first Bundesliga are eliminated from the competition in the first round. For this reason alone, cup matches are particularly exciting for every team and every fan.

Especially in the last rounds up to the cup final, there are hardly any free seats in the stadiums. So if you want to get your hands on DFB Cup tickets, you must not miss the sales phases or be lucky on the secondary market. This is all the more true when it comes to final tickets for the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Current tickets for the DFB Cup

These are the upcoming matches in the DFB Cup:

How do I get DFB Cup tickets?

Until the cup final, tickets for DFB Cup matches are generally only available from the clubs playing against each other. It should be noted that in the German Cup competition there is a home right for teams below the second Bundesliga – as long as they play against higher-ranked teams. This therefore applies to teams in the third division or those that qualify for the DFB Cup via the respective state cups.

This means that ticket allotments can be relatively small, especially in the first and second rounds of the cup. For example, when 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig played Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023, this match also took place in Leipzig’s Bruno Plache Stadium, meaning that only 13,721 tickets were available in total. For Eintracht fans, this meant that only 1,800 seats were available.

In addition to any scarce contingents, the clubs usually have a right of first refusal on tickets for club members and season ticket holders. To continue the example of Lok Leipzig against Eintracht Frankfurt: The match was already completely sold out during the pre-sale phase for club members, meaning that there were no remaining tickets available for free sale.

For many games in the cup, this means that free sales of remaining tickets are very limited or even non-existent. Those who are neither club members nor season ticket holders are usually left empty-handed. However, the secondary market still offers good opportunities – more on this later.

How much do DFB Cup tickets cost?

The prices for DFB Cup tickets vary greatly depending on the round, the fixture and the home team. Especially in the first and second rounds of the competition, ticket prices are still at a relatively low level. Especially for teams from the third division, fans can often get good seats for less than 30 euros. However, these clubs from lower leagues also use the matches against big opponents to generate good income through slightly higher ticket prices.

Of course, a clash between two larger teams from the first and second Bundesliga is very likely from the second round onwards. In this case, the usual prices for Bundesliga tickets can be expected.

From the quarter-finals at the latest, DFB Cup tickets will cost about the same as in the Bundesliga or 2. Bundesliga, depending on the club. This means that the price for seats is usually between 20 and 50 euros. Of course, the costs for final tickets are even higher.

Discounted tickets in the DFB Cup

As is usual in league football, there are generally different categories of tickets. The number varies depending on the club, whereby a third division or amateur club may only offer one seating category and standing room only. Standing places in particular are usually very cheap, but the tickets for these are almost always already available to season ticket holders and club members.

Apart from that, the clubs also offer tickets at a discount in the DFB Cup. In all categories, the prices are then a few euros lower or the discounted tickets are generally in the price of the lowest category. The criteria for entitlement to a discount depend on the individual regulations of the clubs. This usually applies:

• Young people up to the age of 18 or 19
• Pupils, students and trainees
• Pensioners and senior citizens aged 65 and over
• Severely disabled persons from 50% GDB

When can you buy DFB Cup tickets?

The demand for tickets for cup matches logically starts at the beginning of each season. After all, the first main round takes place before the first Bundesliga matchday, while the draw for the pairings takes place in June. A little later after the draw, the clubs then announce the first information on advance ticket sales. This also applies to later rounds of the competition.

Cup tickets can ultimately be purchased around 3 to 4 weeks before the match date. As mentioned, the pre-sale will then begin with individual phases in which season ticket holders and club members will receive their tickets first. The free sale of remaining tickets therefore starts approximately 2 weeks before a cup match. The opening of club-internal secondary markets also falls into the free sale phase. Many clubs offer to buy unused individual tickets from season ticket holders in this way or generally resell tickets there.

However, the external secondary market, i.e. ticket exchanges such as Viagogo or StubHub as well as platforms such as eBay, classified adverts and social media, must be considered separately. Numerous tickets for almost all matches are offered via all of these channels.

Secondary market for the DFB Cup: How reputable are ticket exchanges?

Although the football clubs themselves are against this option, it should be noted that buying tickets on ticket exchanges and other platforms is legal. In principle, there is therefore nothing to be said against looking around there. Especially as this is the only way to get a DFB Cup ticket for many matches.

Regardless of where the transaction takes place, ultimately the sale and purchase always takes place from private to private. Ticket exchanges such as Viagogo act more as intermediaries. This means that fraud and bad purchases cannot be ruled out – but experience has shown that this rarely happens. Buyers can protect themselves from the outset by paying attention to a few important aspects:

• Payment methods such as PayPal offer buyer protection, while bank transfers are insecure.
• Insured shipping of hardcover tickets should always be requested and used.
• Slightly higher prices are common on the secondary market, but very high prices also occur in some cases.
• If the origin, authenticity or validity of the ticket can be verified, this is a sign of seriousness.

If all this is taken into account, buying tickets can be a real stroke of luck. The major ticket exchanges in particular offer certain guarantees in this regard, such as PayPal as payment. Meanwhile, even greater caution is required on eBay or social media.

Are DFB Cup tickets personalised?

An important issue when selling and buying tickets on the secondary market is the personalisation of tickets. This is now common practice for professional clubs in the Bundesliga. In most cases, their DFB Cup tickets are therefore also personalised, which also applies to many clubs in the second division. For third division and amateur clubs, however, personalisation is unlikely.

Whether a transfer, i.e. change of personalisation, is possible depends on the club’s specifications. In most cases, a ticket can be rewritten once by submitting an application. It is important to bear this in mind when buying a personalised ticket on the secondary market (or in general).

Are personalised tickets checked?

In practice, however, personalised tickets very rarely lead to problems. There are no reports of checks at the entrance to a stadium, although the clubs do make reference to this procedure. However, the sheer volume of stadium visitors on a match day makes it virtually impossible to check all tickets. Of course, it is never completely impossible.

Mismatched personalisation can also be problematic if a day ticket also serves as a bus or train ticket. Anyone wishing to use a ticket in this way must ensure that they can identify themselves as the correct ticket holder.

When are tickets for the DFB Cup final available?

When purchasing DFB Cup final tickets, a distinction must be made between tickets for the two participating clubs and public tickets. As the annual venue, the Olympiastadion Berlin offers space for over 74,000 spectators. Around 24,000 of these go to the fans of the two finalists. The DFB itself offers the remaining contingent directly to partners and sponsors as well as the general public.

For the latter, a short application phase takes place every year, after which a draw is held. For the 2023 Cup final, which took place on 3 June, all interested parties were able to apply from 28 April to 4 May. The final teams also start selling tickets in advance three to four weeks before the final date, which is always at the end of May or beginning of June.

How much does a ticket for the cup final cost?

The final participants and the DFB are responsible for the prices of the final tickets. Tickets purchased through the clubs are likely to be slightly more expensive than in the league. However, experience has shown that there are only minor differences in terms of ticket categories or discounts and there is no standing room.

The DFB tickets are divided into four categories. In the 2023 final, the cheapest category cost 45 euros, while the price for the most expensive seats was 130 euros. As there is generally a high demand for final tickets every year, prices on the secondary market should always be expected to be in the three-digit range.

Cup tickets for wheelchair users and the severely disabled

Whether it’s the first main round, round of 16 or final – just like in the league, there are also tickets for people with disabilities in the DFB Cup. The DFB and the clubs offer tickets for wheelchair users or people with visual impairments, for example. The ticket price is usually lower and tickets for accompanying persons are included.

It is important for interested parties to obtain information about ticket allocation from the DFB or the clubs as early as possible – even before the sales phases. For many clubs, this is done by submitting an application and is therefore independent of the usual advance sale.

The history of the DFB Cup

The DFB Cup is a German football cup competition that was established in 1935. It is the second most important national football cup competition after the Bundesliga. The DFB Cup is organised by the German Football Association (DFB).

The final was won by Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 1993, Werder Bremen in 1994, Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1995, VfB Stuttgart in 1997, FC Schalke 04 in 2001, Werder Bremen in 2004 and FC Schalke 04 again in 2011.

In the following years, the DFB Cup was mostly a duel between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. It was not until 2012 that another club joined the ranks of those who had won both titles. That year, Borussia Dortmund beat FC Bayern Munich 5:2, but the following year Dortmund lost 1:0 in the quarter-finals to Bayern Munich, who went on to win the treble (DFB Cup, championship, Champions League).

In 2014, FC Bayern Munich won the final against BVB 2:0, which was the 10th double in the club’s history. The following year, the two clubs met again in the semi-finals. Dortmund won this match after a curious penalty shoot-out in which all four Bayern players missed their kicks.

In the final, Dortmund lost 3:1 to VfL Wolfsburg, who had been beaten in the semi-finals by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the previous two years. Wolfsburg thus celebrated the first cup victory in the club’s history. A year later, FC Bayern Munich won its eleventh double with a 4:3 victory on penalties against Borussia Dortmund. In 2017, Borussia Dortmund won the cup again in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt after BVB had defeated Bayern Munich in the semi-final. In 2018, Eintracht Frankfurt beat Munich 3:1 to win the cup for the first time in 30 years.

In November 2011, the DFB sports court ruled that the 2012/13 DFB Cup should be played without the club due to rioting by Dynamo Dresden fans. However, this penalty was cancelled following an appeal by the club. On 25 October, Ultras set off firecrackers and rockets during the match against Borussia Dortmund, forcing the match to be interrupted several times. A total of 17 people were injured, 15 people were arrested and property damage totalling 150,000 euros was caused.

The DFB Cup has been a constant source of excitement for German football fans since its inception in 1935. The competition has seen some great moments over the years, including finals between fierce rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. With the recent successes of teams such as Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg, the DFB Cup is sure to continue to offer football at the highest level in the years to come.

How does the DFB Cup draw work?

In the first round of the DFB Cup, all teams in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 compete in a knockout system. The draw for this round always has two stages. The first group comprises the teams from the Bundesliga and the 14 best-placed teams from the previous Bundesliga 2 season. The second group contains 24 representatives of the state associations as well as the four last-placed teams from the 2nd Bundesliga and the four best-placed teams from this year’s 3rd Bundesliga.

The teams in the second group will have home court. This means that they can choose whether to play in their own stadium or in the stadium of the away team.

The second round of the DFB Cup will again be a knockout round and will be contested by clubs from the 1st and 2nd leagues and teams below the 2nd Bundesliga. The status in the match year of the competition to be drawn applies. Teams from the draw pots that have not yet been allocated are then paired with each other.

From the start of the round of 16, the teams will only be drawn from one draw pot. As in the second round, the clubs below the second division have the right to play at home against teams from the first and second divisions.

Since the 2017/18 season, the draws have generally taken place on the Sunday after the respective cup round from 6 p.m. at the German Football Museum in Dortmund and are broadcast live on Sportschau.

Although the final takes place on a neutral pitch, a team with “home rights” is drawn for this match, albeit without advertising. The result of the draw usually determines the allocation of the dressing rooms, the fan curves and the area for the fan festival.

To summarise, the DFB Cup is a competition in which teams from all over Germany compete against each other in a knockout system. The current champions are RB Leipzig, who won the 2022/23 edition of the competition. The DFB Cup is a great opportunity for smaller clubs to compete against the best in Germany. It also allows fans to watch exciting football with DFB Cup tickets.

Frequently asked questions about the DFB Cup