St. Pauli in the DFB Cup: neighborhood duel against Eintracht Norderstedt!

St. Pauli in the DFB Cup: neighborhood duel against Eintracht Norderstedt!

The first round of the 2025/26 DFB Cup was drawn on June 15, 2025, and FC St. Pauli will face Eintracht Norderstedt. The draw took place at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, with the help of lottery ticket winner Owen Ansah, a sprinter from Hamburg. The promising duel between the two teams will take place between August 15th and 18th, 2025. This is the fifth participation in the DFB Cup for Norderstedt, which qualified as Hamburg's state cup winner.

Eintracht Norderstedt reached the first round after the club triumphed 5-4 on penalties in the final against USC Paloma. This participation is particularly significant as Norderstedt last took part in the cup in 2021, when the team was eliminated 0-4 in the first round by Hannover 96. Sports director Andreas Bornemann is enthusiastic about the possibility that many fans will attend the neighborhood duel. FC St. Pauli reports that ...

A look at the DFB Cup

The DFB Cup, which has been organized annually by the German Football Association (DFB) since 1935, is the second most important title in German club football. The competition is played using a knockout system and is very popular, particularly because of the opportunity for lower-class teams to win against higher-class teams. This season, 64 teams are represented in the competition, including 18 clubs from the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga, the first four teams from the 3rd league and 24 teams from lower leagues, mainly association cup winners. Wikipedia states that...

The pairings for each round are drawn publicly and home advantage applies to teams below the 2nd Bundesliga when they play against higher-class opponents. The DFB Cup has an exciting history full of surprises, and it is not uncommon for amateur clubs to challenge the league's big players. This year Norderstedt could also follow in these footsteps.

Here’s to a sporting neighborhood duel

The anticipation for the upcoming match is already palpable. Sports director Bornemann emphasizes that such a duel is of great importance not only in terms of sport but also emotionally. The opportunity to see numerous fans in the stadium makes the encounter all the more attractive. Eintracht Norderstedt has a good chance to prove itself in the DFB Cup and perhaps reach the next round. While the fans are looking forward to the match, it remains to be seen whether FC St. Pauli can prevail or whether Norderstedt will cause a surprise.

For all football fans, this event not only means exciting matches, but also a further step in the long history of the DFB Cup, which has written many stories and successes to this day. Kicker informs about...