DFB-Pokal draw: Kane receives direct crack at Leverkusen, Leipzig host Frankfurt, Kohfeldt heads back to Bremen
Stuttgart and Freiburg received the presumed easier paths with trips to Regensburg and Bielefeld, respectively. SV Darmstadt 98 trainer Florian Kohfeldt returns to Bremen to take on his long-time club.
The Leverkusen (2024 cup champs) and Leipzig (2022 and 2023 cup champs) render it difficult for the most recent Pokal winners. 2021 champs Dortmund have already been eliminated.
Bayern seek their first domestic cup win since defeating Leverkusen in the 2020 Final during Hansi Flick's famous "six trophy" campaign.
| Harry Kane | Alexander Hassenstein, Getty Images |
The 2024/25 DFB-Pokal Round-of-16 will feature a mega-matchup between defending Bundesliga champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen and German record champions FC Bayern München. Leverkusen legend Rudi Völler - who happened to be a guest on last night's draw on German public television program ARD Sportschau - joked that his club probably won't treat his involvement in the event as a harbinger of good luck.
In addition to Leverkusen-Bayern, there shall be two other duels between top-tier sides in the competition's third round. RB Leipzig shall host Eintracht Frankfurt in another massive showdown between potential top-four clubs and a re-match of the 2023 Final. VfL Wolfsburg will also welcome TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Stuttgart (against struggling second division side Regensburg) and Freiburg (against 3. Liga upstarts Arminia Bielefeld) receive easier paths.
Newly appointed SV Darmstadt 98 trainer Florian Kohfeldt also receives a chance at revenge against the club that launched his coaching career. Kohfeldt's Lillien will travel to Bremen at the beginning of December. The 42-year-old heads home to the Hanseatic city-state for the first time since being sacked on the penultimate match-day of the 2020/21 campaign.
The full draw:
- Bayern - Leverkusen
- Leipzig - Frankfurt
- Wolfsburg - Hoffenheim
- Karlsruher SC - Augsburg
- Jahn Regensburg - Stuttgart
- Arminia Bielefeld - SC Freiburg
- 1. FC Köln - Hertha BSC
- Werder Bremen - Darmstadt