The 2019–20 DFB-Pokal was the 40th season of the annual German football cup competition. 48 teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Frauen-Bundesliga and the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga, excluding second teams. The competition began on 3 August 2019 with the first of six rounds and ended on 4 July 2020 with the final at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010. The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most important club title in German women's football after the Bundesliga championship. The DFB-Pokal is run by the German Football Association (DFB).
The defending champions were Frauen-Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg, after they defeated SC Freiburg 1–0 in the previous final. Wolfsburg once again won the cup, defeating SGS Essen after penalties.
The competition was suspended on 16 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, and resumed in June 2020 with matches behind closed doors.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, on 16 March, it was announced that the competition will be suspended until 19 April. On 3 April, the suspension was extended until 30 April. On 20 May, it was announced that the competition would be continued on 2 June. All remaining matches were played behind closed doors. In addition, five substitutions were permitted for the remaining matches, with a sixth allowed in extra time, following a proposal from FIFA and approval by IFAB to lessen the impact of fixture congestion.
Participating clubs The following 49 clubs qualified for the competition:
Bundesligathe 12 clubs of the 2018–19 season 2. Bundesliga8 of the 14 clubs of the 2018–19 season Regionalliga8 of the 10 champions and runners-up of the 2018–19 season Werder Bremen MSV Duisburg SGS Essen 1. FFC Frankfurt SC Freiburg 1899 Hoffenheim Bayer Leverkusen Borussia Mönchengladbach Bayern Munich Turbine Potsdam SC Sand VfL Wolfsburg BV Cloppenburg FSV Gütersloh USV Jena 1. FC Köln SV Meppen 1. FC Saarbrücken SV Weinberg Hessen Wetzlar SG Andernach Arminia Bielefeld FC Ingolstadt Union Berlin Borussia Bocholt 1. FFC 08 Niederkirchen 1. FC Nürnberg Walddörfer SV Verbandspokalthe 21 winners of the regional association cupsBaden Karlsruher SC
Bavaria FC Forstern
Berlin Viktoria Berlin
Brandenburg FSV Babelsberg 74
Bremen TuS Schwachhausen
Hamburg Hamburger SV
Hesse Eintracht FrankfurtLower Rhine 1. FC Mönchengladbach
Lower Saxony Eintracht Braunschweig
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern HSG Warnemünde
Middle Rhine SC Fortuna Köln
Rhineland SV Holzbach
Saarland SV Göttelborn
Saxony RB LeipzigSaxony-Anhalt Magdeburger FFC
Schleswig-Holstein Holstein Kiel
South Baden Hegauer FV
Southwest TuS Wörrstadt
Thuringia 1. FFV Erfurt
Westphalia SpVg Berghofen
Württemberg SV Hegnach
Format Clubs from lower leagues hosted against clubs from higher leagues until the quarter-finals. If both clubs were below the 2. Bundesliga, there was no host club change.
Schedule The rounds of the 2019–20 competition were scheduled as follows:
Round Matches First round 3–4 August 2019 Second round 7–8 September 2019 Round of 16 16–17 November 2019 Quarter-finals 21–22 March 2020 Semi-finals 18–19 April 2020 Final 30 May 2020 at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
Matches A total of forty-nine matches will take place, starting with the first round on 3 August 2019 and culminating with the final on 4 July 2020 at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne.
Times up to 26 October 2019 and from 29 March 2020 are CEST (UTC+2). Times from 27 October 2019 to 28 March 2020 are CET (UTC+1).
First round The seventeen matches were drawn on 11 July and took place on 3 and 4 August 2019. The twelve clubs from the 2018–19 Bundesliga season and the three best-placed clubs from the 2018–19 2. Bundesliga received a bye.
Second round The draw was held on 10 August 2019. The matches will be played on 7 and 8 September 2019.
Round of 16 The draw was held on 13 September 2019. The matches were played on 16 and 17 November 2019.
Quarterfinals The draw was held on 9 February 2020. The matches were played on 2 and 3 June 2020 behind closed doors, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.
Semifinals The draw was held on 26 May 2020. The matches took place on 10 and 11 June 2020 behind closed doors.
Final
GK 27 Friederike Abt RB 9 Anna Blässe CB 23 Sara Doorsoun CB 28 Lena Goeßling LB 6 Dominique Bloodworth RM 10 Svenja Huth CM 15 Ingrid Syrstad Engen CM 11 Alexandra Popp LM 14 Fridolina Rolfö CF 17 Ewa Pajor CF 22 Pernille Harder (c) Substitutes: GK 36 Hedvig Lindahl DF 16 Noelle Maritz DF 24 Joelle Wedemeyer MF 3 Zsanett Jakabfi MF 5 Claudia Neto MF 13 Felicitas Rauch MF 20 Pia-Sophie Wolter Manager: Stephan Lerch GK 1 Stina Johannes RB 16 Jacqueline Klasen CB 22 Nina Brüggemann CB 27 Marina Hegering (c) LB 18 Lena Ostermeier CM 31 Jana Feldkamp CM 6 Elisa Senß RW 33 Turid Knaak AM 19 Lena Oberdorf LW 17 Nicole Anyomi FW 7 Lea SchüllerSubstitutes: GK 20 Kim Sindermann FW 8 Manjou Wilde MF 11 Irini Ioannidou MF 14 Mara Grutkamp MF 25 Maria Lange MF 13 Ramona Petzelberger FW 9 Kirsten NesseManager: Markus Hoegner
Assistant referees: Sina Diekmann Annika Paszehr Fourth official: Kathrin HeimannMatch rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Nine named substitutes. Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time.
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