Bayern Munich’s quest to end their DFB-Pokal drought, which stands at nearly six years now, is no secret. For a team that prides itself on dominating German football, the continued failures in Germany’s cup competition has been a source of embarrassment. Reaching the 2025/26 season’s DFB-Pokal final is a chance for the Bavarians to finally end this wait as they come up against reigning champions VfB Stuttgart.
Reflecting on this long drought, Bayern’s sporting director Christoph Freund elaborated
on the Bavarians’ mindset ahead of the big night:
“Bayern haven’t been to Berlin for a long time. Now we’re there and we want to take the trophy home,” Freund declared, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “We couldn’t have gotten a more difficult final. VfB are the title holders, they’re playing really good football and are always there in important games. I was once in Berlin as a spectator. That was Bayern against Dortmund. Everything is much bigger, it’s a magical night. It will certainly be a very special night.”
Stuttgart know just how special the night is. While the DFB Pokal has been a source of repeated embarrassment for Bayern, it has been a source of extreme pride for other teams. The prime example of this was Stuttgart, as Die Schwäben overcame last season’s surprise package Arminia Bielefeld to win the 2024/25 edition of the Pokal. It was the fourth time in their history and first time in 28 years that they had lifted the trophy. It was the perfect end to an imperfect 2024/25 season and sparked incredible celebrations, which included a parade through the streets, a ceremony and a gathering of around 50,000 overjoyed fans.
Stuttgart will look to repeat their heroic of last season, but, this time, they will do so not against a third division side (with all due respect to how impressive Bielefeld’s run was) but against Die Rekordmeister, who are desperate to end the season on a high and recapture the trophy. Accordingly, they realize who are the favorites but know their strength as reigning champions:
Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth: “On paper, the favourites are clear, but I still think we have a chance. We want to experience what we did last year again.”
Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor: “Bayern are simply the best team in Germany and one of the best teams in the world, we know that. And that’s how we’ll approach the game. We feel like the underdogs. But we want to give Bayern a hard time – and we’ve beaten them before.”
Who will come out on top? The resurgent Stuttgart who have prevailed against the odds so many times over the years? Or the dominant Bayern, who have blitzed record after record in this ridiculous season? Recent encounters certainly favor Bayern, but the cup competition is a beast of its’ own.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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