Opinion of the DFB-Pokal?

[Damocles]

The DFB-Pokal is an annual association football knockout competition held in Germany. It is one of two major association football competitions, together with the Bundesliga.

It is contested by 64 teams: all 36 teams from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, the top four teams from the 3. Liga, and 24 teams from various state-level leagues.

The teams are divided into two pots. Pot 1 consists of all 18 teams of the Bundesliga, and teams #1-#14 of the 2. Bundesliga. Pot 2 consists of teams #15-#18 of the 2. Bundesliga, teams #1-#4 of the 3. Liga, and the 24 state-level champions.

Matchups are by luck of the draw in each round, and in the first round, a Pot 1 team always travels to a Pot 2 team in their home stadium.

Half the teams are eliminated in each round. 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, and 2. Finally, there is a grand final between the two remaining teams, and the winner of the grand final is the DFB-Pokal champion for that year.

[Damocles]

FT ofc

But why the DFB-Pokal in particular? It's like just about any other national cup in soccer

Sports tournaments in the US are, or tend to be, closed-ended affairs. To the administrator and donor class who funds the tournaments, they represent nothing more than an opportunity for some billionaire to market a sanitized product, as opposed to having an actual competition. I enjoy watching the DFB-Pokal and other cup competitions because of how compelling the matches truly are. The very idea that a local team from your state could possibly go up against the big boys in the first league - and not only beat them, but knock them out of the competition! - is inspiring.

When presenting opportunities like this for spectators, the format of the tournament fundamentally matters. Keeping a good mix of top-level and local teams in contention for the title is one thing the Pokal does well, and it’s something that I find to be remarkably democratic. Nobody’s better than you, big-money teams, but you’re better than nobody. Get caught sleeping or underestimating an opponent, and you’ll pay for it dearly.