2019–20 DFB-Pokal

On 27 March 2020, the German Football Association (DFB) indefinitely postponed the semi-finals of the competition, originally scheduled for 21 and 22 April, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. On 24 April, the DFB also indefinitely postponed the final of the competition, originally scheduled for 23 May, with the goal of completing the competition by 30 June 2020. On 11 May 2020, the DFB Executive Committee approved a resumption of the competition, subject to political approval, using a hygiene concept similar to that implemented by the DFL in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The semi-finals took place on 9 and 10 June, while the final took place on 4 July 2020. However, the remaining matches were required to be played behind closed doors without any spectators. In addition, five substitutions were permitted for the remaining matches following a proposal from FIFA and approval by IFAB, meant to lessen the impact of fixture congestion. ==Participating clubs==

The following 64 teams qualified for the competition: ==Format==

Participation The DFB-Pokal began with a round of 64 teams. The 36 teams of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, along with the top four finishers of the 3. Liga, automatically qualified for the tournament. Of the remaining slots, 21 were given to the cup winners of the regional football associations, the Verbandspokal. The three remaining slots were given to the three regional associations with the most men's teams, which were Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Westphalia. The best-placed amateur team of the Regionalliga Bayern was given the spot for Bavaria. For Lower Saxony, the Lower Saxony Cup was split into two paths: one for 3. Liga and Regionalliga Nord teams, and the other for amateur teams. The winners of each path qualified. For Westphalia, the winner of a play-off between the best-placed team of the Regionalliga West and Oberliga Westfalen also qualified. As every team was entitled to participate in local tournaments which qualified for the association cups, every team could in principle compete in the DFB-Pokal. Reserve teams and combined football sections were not permitted to enter, along with no two teams of the same association or corporation. Draw The draws for the different rounds were conducted as follows: From the round of 16 onward, a video assistant referee was appointed for all DFB-Pokal matches. Though technically possible, VAR was not used for home matches of Bundesliga clubs prior to the round of 16 in order to provide a uniform approach to all matches. For the semi-finals and final, a maximum of five substitutions were allowed. However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time. Suspensions If a player received five yellow cards in the competition, he was then suspended from the next cup match. Similarly, receiving a second yellow card suspended a player from the next cup match. If a player received a direct red card, they were suspended a minimum of one match, but the German Football Association reserved the right to increase the suspension. Champion qualification The winners of the DFB-Pokal typically earned automatic qualification for the group stage of next year's edition of the UEFA Europa League. If they had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League through position in the Bundesliga, then the spot would go to the team in sixth place, and the league's second qualifying round spot would go to the team in seventh place. The winners also typically hosted the DFL-Supercup at the start of the next season, facing the champions of the previous year's Bundesliga, unless the same team won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, completing a double. In that case, the runners-up of the Bundesliga took the spot and hosted instead. ==Schedule==

in Berlin hosted the final. All draws were held at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, on a Sunday evening at 18:00 after each round (unless noted otherwise). The draws were televised on ARD's Sportschau, broadcast on Das Erste. The rounds of the 2019–20 competition were scheduled as follows: ==Matches==

A total of sixty-three matches took place, starting with the first round on 9 August 2019 and culminating with the final on 4 July 2020 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. 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 draw for the first round was held on 15 June 2019 at 18:00, with Nia Künzer drawing the matches. The thirty-two matches took place from 9 to 12 August 2019. Second round The draw for the second round was held on 18 August 2019 at 18:00, with Sebastian Kehl drawing the matches. The eight matches took place from 4 to 5 February 2020. Quarter-finals The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 9 February 2020 at 18:00, with Cacau drawing the matches. The four matches took place from 3 to 4 March 2020. Semi-finals The draw for the semi-finals was held on 8 March 2020 at 18:00, with Almuth Schult drawing the matches. The two matches took place from 9 to 10 June 2020. 1. FC Saarbrücken of the Regionalliga Südwest became the first fourth-division club in the history of the DFB-Pokal to reach the semi-finals of the competition. ---- Final The final took place on 4 July 2020 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. ==Top goalscorers==

The following were the top scorers of the DFB-Pokal, sorted first by number of goals, and then alphabetically if necessary. Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs are not included. ==Notes==