DFB Cup: Bielefeld in the final – Stuttgart secures the title!

DFB Cup: Bielefeld in the final – Stuttgart secures the title!

The DFB Cup remains a central element of German football this season. Things will get exciting in the second round on October 27, 2025, when VfL Wolfsburg meets Holstein Kiel. The clash will take place in the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg and starts at 6:30 p.m. The Volkswagen Arena in particular impresses with its modern architecture and offers space for 28,917 spectators, including 23,568 seats and 5,349 variable standing places. The game will be broadcast exclusively on Sky, and unfortunately there is no way to watch the match on free TV. Nevertheless, football fans can hope for the nationwide broadcasts of ARD and ZDF, which show a total of 15 games on free TV, including the semi-finals and the final.

Wolfsburg secured their ticket to the second round of the cup last August. On August 16th, the team suffered an impressive 9-0 defeat against SV Hemelingen. Holstein Kiel, the second participant in this duel, triumphed on August 17th with a 2-0 win against FC 08 Homburg and was therefore also able to move into the next round. Historically, the two teams have played each other 24 times, with Kiel winning 12 times while Wolfsburg only managed 8 wins. So an exciting encounter is in the starting blocks!

Surprising finale 2025

This DFB Cup has already brought surprising twists and turns. Particularly noteworthy is the entry of Arminia Bielefeld, a third division team, into the final, where they met VfB Stuttgart. Bielefeld have defeated formidable Bundesliga opponents in the competition, including Union Berlin, SC Freiburg, Werder Bremen and even defending champions Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals. It is the first third division team to reach the final since 2011. The final took place at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, and Stuttgart secured the title with a 4-2 win - their fourth cup victory after previous successes in 1954, 1958 and 1997.

In the game itself, Stuttgart started the game as favorites and pushed the pace right from the start. Nick Woltemade opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Bielefeld fought bravely, but had little return; The offensive was unable to take advantage of many chances and fell out of rhythm, while Stuttgart scored four goals with clever counterattacks. Although Bielefeld scored two goals later, it wasn't enough to turn the tide.

The importance of the DFB Cup

The DFB Cup, also known as the DFB Club Cup, is the second most important title in German club football. The first event took place in 1935. Every year 64 teams compete against each other in a knockout system. This season the participants include 36 clubs from the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga as well as the four best teams from the 3rd league, supplemented by numerous state cup winners. After the first matchday, 32 teams are still in the running and the tension increases as the final gets closer.

The uniformity of the bonuses is also of interest: there is over 200,000 euros for participation in the first round and the cup winner can look forward to more than four million euros. The fascination of this competition is undeniable, especially when underdogs like Bielefeld manage to knock big clubs out of the tournament. We can only hope that the next rounds will be just as exciting!