Bayern Munich have drawn Bundesliga returnees FC Köln in the DFB-Pokal second round. The match will be played on either the 28th or 29th of October.

The record champions advanced to the second round after a shaky 3-2 victory against SV Wehen Wiesbaden, and have now been handed another away trip, this time further north of Germany.

Although Bayern and Köln have faced each other numerous times, they have actually never met in the Pokal. It remains to be seen whether the nature of the competition will have any impact on the tie.

Bayern’s last match against Köln was two seasons ago, before the Billy Goats got relegated from the Bundesliga. Raphäel Guerreiro and Thomas Müller scored in a 2-0 home win. The last away trip to Cologne was a few months beforehand in late 2023, when Bayern came home with a 1-0 win. Harry Kane scored the only goal of the match.

Perhaps the most memorable match against Köln was in May 2023, when a last minute goal from Jamal Musiala snatched the Meisterschale away from Borussia Dortmund and sealed Bayern’s eleventh league title in a row.

Speaking of Dortmund, they have been dealt the hardest draw in the second round – an away trip to high flying Eintracht Frankfurt, who also happens to be the old employers of their coach Niko Kovač. Kovač actually won the Pokal with Frankfurt back in 2018, sadly against Bayern in Jupp Heynckes’ last game. At least he made amends by winning it with Bayern the following year.

Here is the full fixture list:

By Eskender Tamrat DFB-Pokal second round draw: Bayern away at Köln, holders face Mainz, Frankfurt host Dortmund

Here’s the draw for the second round of DFB-Pokal.

Bayern Munich will face a tricky test in Köln for the second round of the DFB-Pokal as they look to win the cup for the first time in six years. VfB Stuttgart’s attempt at their title defense will continue in Mainz.

Meanwhile, Eintracht Frankfurt hosting Borussia Dortmund is another big fixture. Arminia Bielefeld, who have developed a knack for cupsets since the start of last season, will play against Union Berlin.

Here’s the complete list of fixtures that will be played in the last weekend of October.

Paderborn vs. Leverkusen

Hertha vs. Elversberg

Wolfsburg vs. Holstein Kiel

Greuther Fürth vs. Kaiserslautern

St. Pauli vs. Hoffenheim

Darmstadt vs. Schalke

Heidenheim vs. Hamburger SV

Illertissen vs. Magdeburg

Gladbach vs. Karlsruher

Union Berlin vs. Arminia Bielefeld

Köln vs. Bayern Munich

Energie Cottbus vs. RB Leipzig

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Borussia Dortmund

Fortuna Düsseldorf vs. SC Freiburg

Mainz vs. Stuttgart

Augsburg vs. Bochum

Seventh cup duel

The record cup winners take on Köln for the seventh time in the competition. Munich left the pitch as winners in five of the six previous encounters, with Köln winning only one match. The overall record also favours Bayern, who have won 58 of the 106 encounters (24 draws, 24 defeats).

Ties on 28/29 October

The second-round matches will be played on 28 and 29 October. The German FA (DFB) will confirm the exact dates and kick-off times in the coming days. The cup final will be staged at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on 23 May 2026.

Watch the highlights of the first-round match against Wehen Wiesbaden on FC Bayern TV Plus:

By Ultan Corcoran Guirassy brace inspires Dortmund to victory over Union Berlin

BVB cruised to a 3-0 triumph over the Köpenick club on Matchday 2.

In their first competitive game at the Westfalenstadion this season, Borussia Dortmund ran out 3-0 winners against 1.FC Union Berlin. As is typical of any Steffen Baumgart side, the side from the German capital proved difficult to break down. However, a Serhou Guirassy brace and a thunderous hit from Felix Nmecha made sure of a well-earned victory.

Dortmund typically enjoyed the majority of the possession, but the visitors from Köpenick showed their intent from the first whistle with an aggressive press to unsettle their opponent’s backline. An initial chance for BVB eventually materalised on 16 minutes as Yan Couto worked room for Serhou Guirassy who blazed over from a narrow shooting angle.

After a nasty clash of heads between Jobe Bellingham and Andrej Ilic, play resumed as Tom Rothe’s undercooked pass left Guirassy one-on-one. The Malian was far too casual as he tried to place it through Rønnow’s legs and the Dane prevented the gilt-edged chance. Janik Haberer’s deflected strike proved to be one of seldom first-half chances.

BVB knitted together another a neat move that almost resulted in a shooting opportunity, meanwhile Union also put new boy Anselmino under pressure with a long ball which Ilic failed to punish. The breakthrough eventually came on 44 minutes – Couto skipped past Skov to deliver the perfect cross for Guirassy to make amends with a powerful finish.

Union Berlin started on the front foot when the second-half got underway as Ilic and Rothe tested Gregor Kobel from separate deliveries into the box. As BVB weathered the storm, they stretched their lead out to a 2-0 margin. Anselmino drove down the right and fed Guirassy who played a wonderfully snappy one-two with Beier before chipping it over the onrushing Rønnow.

Niko Kovač’s team seemed in total control as Union introduced Tim Skarke and Oliver Burke to replenish their attack. It wasn’t long before Kovač himself introduced Julian Ryerson and the permanently signed Carney Chukwuemeka. Maxi Beier departed alongside the impressive debutant Anselmino who went off to a rousing applause from the home support.

Eventually, a third strike of the evening arrived to put the seal on the result. Midfield substitute Felix Nmecha profited from a breaking ball on the edge of the box. The German midfielder rifled his effort into the lower-right corner as the shot clocked up 118km/h. Pascal Groß and Karim Adeyemi made late cameos, but the damage was done as BVB coasted to their first three points.

By Michael Kryschak Confirmed lineups: FC Augsburg vs. Bayern Munich

It’s the Bavarian derby in the Bundesliga! Augsburg’s headcoach Sandro Wagner stands in the spotlight when his side face Rekordmeister Bayern Munich in the WWK Arena – who will come out on top? Here are the confirmed lineups for both teams.

FC Augsburg and FC Bayern have both had a great start to their 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign so far: FCA were able to get a surprising 3-1 victory over Freiburg away from home and Bayern made a statement with their 6-0 home win over RB Leipzig.

Aside from both teams being in good form, there is another exciting storyline ahead of the Bavarian derby: FCA headcoach Sandro Wagner. The 37-year-old, two years younger than Bayern captain Manuel Neuer by the way, has had an interesting past in Munich: He spent over ten years in their youth system and eventually came back to secure a Bundesliga title with the Rekordmeister! Wagner however, made sure to let everybody know that he is fully focused on his Augsburg side and the best possibly result in their first home game of the season.

The only thing potentially distracting Bayern Munich is the ongoing stress and discussions on the transfer market – Woltemade moved on to Newcastle, Nicolas Jackson is set to arrive in Munich – are they fully focused on the “daily Bundesliga business”? Read the whole match preview here!

With just about one hour to go until kick-off, here are the confirmed lineups for the exciting Bavarian derby:

Confirmed lineups: FC Augsburg vs. Bayern Munich

FC Augsburg (3-5-2):

Dahmen – Matsima, Gouweleeuw ©, Schlotterbeck – Wolf, Fellhauer, Jakić Massengo, Giannoulis – Kömür, Saad

FC Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1):

Neuer © – Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanišić – Kimmich, Goretzka – Olise, Gnabry, Díaz – Kane