2023–24 DFB-Pokal
Football tournament season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023–24 DFB-Pokal was the 81st season of the annual German football cup competition. Sixty-four teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The competition began on 11 August 2023 with the first of six rounds and ended on 25 May 2024 with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 1985.[1] The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga championship. The DFB-Pokal is run by the German Football Association (DFB).
Tournament details | |
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Country | Germany |
Venue(s) | Olympiastadion, Berlin |
Dates | 11 August 2023 – 25 May 2024 |
Teams | 64 |
Final positions | |
Champions | Bayer Leverkusen (2nd title) |
Runner-up | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 63 |
Goals scored | 303 (4.81 per match) |
Attendance | 1,368,503 (21,722 per match) |
Top goal scorer(s) | Amine Adli (5 goals) |
Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs are not included. | |
The two-time defending champions were Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, after they had defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2–0 in the previous final,[2] but they were eliminated in the second round by VfL Wolfsburg. Bayer Leverkusen won their second title by defeating 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1–0 in the final.[3]
The winner of the DFB-Pokal earned automatic qualification for the group stage of the 2024–25 edition of the UEFA Europa League. If they have already qualified for the UEFA Champions League through position in the Bundesliga, then the spot went to the team in sixth, and the league's UEFA Conference League play-off round spot went to the team in seventh. The winners will also host the 2024 edition of the DFL-Supercup at the start of the next season, and will face the champions of the 2023–24 Bundesliga.