The 2020–21 DFB-Pokal was the 41st season of the annual German football cup competition. Several 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 19 September 2020 with the first of six rounds and ended on 30 May 2021 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 SGS Essen in the previous final.

Wolfsburg went on to win the title for the seventh consecutive time, after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 1–0 in the final.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic On 31 August 2020, the DFB Executive Committee decided to extend the use of five substitutions in matches (with a sixth allowed in extra time) to the 2020–21 season, which was implemented at the end of the previous season to lessen the impact of fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of five substitutes, based on the decision of competition organisers, had been extended by IFAB until 2021.

Participating clubs The following 52 clubs qualified for the competition:

Bundesligathe 12 clubs of the 2019–20 season 2. Bundesliga9 of the 14 clubs of the 2019–20 season Regionalliga10 champions and runners-up of the 2019–20 season MSV Duisburg SGS Essen Eintracht Frankfurt (as 1. FFC Frankfurt) SC Freiburg 1899 Hoffenheim Carl Zeiss Jena (as USV Jena) 1. FC Köln Bayer Leverkusen Bayern Munich Turbine Potsdam SC Sand VfL Wolfsburg SG Andernach Arminia Bielefeld Werder Bremen BV Cloppenburg FSV Gütersloh FC Ingolstadt SV Meppen Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. FC Saarbrücken SpVg Berghofen Viktoria Berlin Borussia Bocholt VfL Bochum SV Göttelborn SV Henstedt-Ulzburg RB Leipzig 1. FFC 08 Niederkirchen 1. FC Nürnberg Würzburger Kickers (as Würzburg Dragons) Verbandspokalthe 21 winners of the regional association cupsBaden Karlsruher SC Bavaria SV 67 Weinberg Berlin BSV Grün-Weiss Neukölln Brandenburg FSV Babelsberg 74 Bremen ATS Buntentor Hamburg Walddörfer SV Hesse Opel RüsselsheimLower Rhine SV Büdberg Lower Saxony Jahn Delmenhorst Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Rostocker FC Middle Rhine Fortuna Köln Rhineland SV Holzbach Saarland SV Göttelborn Saxony Phoenix LeipzigSaxony-Anhalt Magdeburger FFC Schleswig-Holstein Holstein Kiel South Baden SV Gottenheim Southwest TuS Wörrstadt Thuringia 1. FFV Erfurt Westphalia SSV Rhade Württemberg SV Alberweiier

Format Clubs from lower leagues will host against clubs from higher leagues until the quarter-finals. Should both clubs play below the 2. Bundesliga, there will be no host club change anymore. In the first round, the matches are split into a "North" and "South" zone.

Schedule The rounds of the 2020–21 competition are scheduled as follows:

Round Matches First round 19–27 September 2020 Second round 31 October – 1 November 2020 Round of 16 5–6 December 2020 Quarter-finals 20–21 March 2021 Semi-finals 4 April 2021 Final 29 May 2021 at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne

First round The draw was made on 25 August 2020. The matches were played on 19, 20, 26 and 27 September 2020.

Second round The draw was made on 1 October 2020. The matches were played on 31 October and 1 November 2020.

Round of 16 The draw was made on 8 November 2020. The matches were played on 5 and 6 December 2020 and in early 2021.

Quarterfinals The draw for the round of 16 was held on 3 January 2021. The matches took place from 19 to 21 March 2021.

Semifinals The draw was held on 28 February 2021. The matches took place on 3 and 4 April 2021.

Final

GK 1 Merle Frohms RB 2 Letícia Santos CB 4 Sophia Kleinherne CB 20 Laura Störzel LB 23 Camilla Küver RM 27 Laura Feiersinger CM 8 Sjoeke Nüsken CM 31 Tanja Pawollek (c) LM 28 Barbara Dunst CF 10 Laura Freigang CF 7 Lara PrašnikarSubstitutes: GK 26 Cara Bösl DF 13 Virginia Kirchberger DF 16 Janina Hechler MF 5 Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir MF 15 Sandrine Mauron FW 9 Shekiera Martinez FW 19 Theresa PanfilManager: Niko Arnautis GK 1 Almuth Schult (c) RB 24 Joelle Wedemeyer CB 23 Sara Doorsoun CB 6 Dominique Janssen LB 13 Felicitas Rauch CM 15 Ingrid Syrstad Engen CM 5 Lena Oberdorf RW 10 Svenja Huth AM 16 Rebecka Blomqvist LW 14 Fridolina Rolfö CF 17 Ewa Pajor Substitutes: GK 27 Friederike Abt MF 3 Zsanett Jakabfi MF 9 Anna Blässe MF 20 Pia-Sophie Wolter MF 21 Lara Dickenmann MF 22 Shanice van de Sanden MF 28 Lena GoeßlingManager: Stephan Lerch

Assistant referees: Vanessa Arlt Jacqueline Herrmann Fourth official: Susann KunkelMatch 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.

Top goalscorers Rank Player Team Goals1 Nina Heisel SV 67 Weinberg8 Stefanie Sanders SC Freiburg 3 Lea Schüller Bayern Munich 74 Barbara Dunst Eintracht Frankfurt4 Jannelle Flaws SV Meppen Laura Freigang Eintracht Frankfurt Zsanett Jakabfi VfL Wolfsburg Melissa Kössler Turbine Potsdam Géraldine Reuteler Eintracht Frankfurt Lena Oberdorf VfL Wolfsburg Tabea Waßmuth 1899 Hoffenheim

Notes

References