2021–22 DFB-Pokal
The 2021–22 DFB-Pokal was the 79th 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 6 August 2021 with the first of six rounds and ended on 21 May 2022 with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 1985. 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 | |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Venue(s) | Olympiastadion, Berlin |
| Dates | 6 August 2021 – 21 May 2022 |
| Teams | 64 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | RB Leipzig (1st title) |
| Runner-up | SC Freiburg |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 63 |
| Goals scored | 217 (3.44 per match) |
| Attendance | 684,039 (10,858 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Robert Glatzel (5 goals) |
| Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs not included. | |
Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund were the defending champions, having defeated RB Leipzig 4–1 in the previous final to clinch their fifth title, but lost to FC St. Pauli in the round of 16. Leipzig won this year's edition with a win over SC Freiburg.
As Leipzig already qualified for the 2022–23 edition of the UEFA Champions League through their position in the Bundesliga, the UEFA Europa League group stage spot reserved for the cup winners went to the sixth-placed team, and the league's UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round spot to the seventh-placed team. As winners, Leipzig hosted the 2022 edition of the DFL-Supercup at the start of the next season, and faced the champion of the 2021–22 Bundesliga, Bayern Munich.