‘Underdogs’ VfB Stuttgart believe they have a chance to beat Bayern Munich and win the DFB-Pokal
Whether or not Bayern win the DFB Pokal will go a long way to determine the success of the season.
11 May 2026, Berlin: Soccer: DFB Cup, handover ceremony before the final match between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart. (l-r) Christoph Freund, sports director at FC Bayern and Stuttgart's sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth stand in front of the cup. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL German Football League and the DFB German Football Association, it is prohibited to utilize or have utilized photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequential images and/or video-like photo series.
(Photo by Andreas Gora/picture alliance via Getty Images) 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.