Tough draw: BVB face Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal last 16 | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund faces Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16 – a true top match. Just a few days before the match, BVB also meets the Werkself in the Bundesliga.

The Round of 16 matches in the DFB-Pokal are set – and several encounters promise real excitement. During the draw on Sunday evening at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, hosted by Lilli Engels with sailor Felix van den Hövel as the draw assistant, Borussia Dortmund drew arguably the toughest lot: BVB will face Bayer 04 Leverkusen at home in the Signal Iduna Park at the beginning of December.

The duel is already considered the top match of the round. Both teams are currently among the strongest in the Bundesliga – and just a few days before the cup clash, they also meet in league play. It is also a premiere: Dortmund and Leverkusen have never faced each other in the DFB-Pokal before.

Record cup winner FC Bayern Munich also has a tough task. The Munich team must travel for an away game against Union Berlin. Defending champion VfB Stuttgart will play at VfL Bochum, while Borussia Mönchengladbach hosts FC St. Pauli in their own stadium.

DFB-Pokal: Round of 16 brings a clash between BVB and Leverkusen

Since the last amateur clubs were eliminated in the second round, the Round of 16 consists exclusively of first and second division teams – a first this season. Accordingly, the draw was made from only one pot, and no team had automatic home advantage.

Starting from the Round of 16, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used for the first time in this cup season. It was not used in the first two rounds to save amateur clubs additional costs.

The games will be played on December 2nd and 3rd, with the exact kick-off times to be set by the DFB in the coming days. The grand finale will take place on May 23, 2026, at the Berlin Olympic Stadium.

The matches in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16:

Borussia Dortmund – Bayer Leverkusen

Hamburger SV – Holstein Kiel

1. FC Union Berlin – FC Bayern Munich

VfL Bochum – VfB Stuttgart

Hertha BSC – 1. FC Kaiserslautern

SC Freiburg – SV Darmstadt 98

Borussia Mönchengladbach – FC St. Pauli

RB Leipzig – 1. FC Magdeburg

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.