20th season in the DFB-Pokal

30 August 2002 – The first time

Hoffenheim made their DFB-Pokal bow in 2002 – at which point they were still in the third-tier Regionalliga Süd  – and what a debut it was! Second-tier SpVgg Greuther Fürth went home from the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion with their tails between their legs after a surprising 4-1 defeat. Souleymane Koné scored TSG's first-ever goal in the DFB-Pokal. And what's more, a certain Hansi Flick was the Hoffenheim coach that day.

3 February 2004 – Quarter-finals at the second attempt

TSG made more headlines in their next DFB-Pokal campaign. While still in the third-tier, Hoffenheim eliminated second-tier Eintracht Trier (4-3 AET) and then beat Karlsruher SC 4-0 in the Baden derby, before pulling off the biggest upset in the last 16: a 3-2 triumph against Bayer Leverkusen, who had travelled to the Kraichgau with superstars like Lúcio and Dimitar Berbatov. TSG were eventually knocked out in the quarter-finals as second-tier VfB Lübeck claimed a narrow 1-0 win.

27 August 2010 – The first match of (very) many

Sebastian Rudy has made 22 appearances for TSG in the DFB-Pokal, making him our all-time top appearance-maker – a record he holds in the Bundesliga too. His first cup tie for TSG was a 1-0 win against FC Ingolstadt.

18 August 2012 – A dark day in the capital

It was not TSG's first or most recent first-round elimination, but it was definitely the most memorable. Fourth-tier Berliner AK ran out 4-0 winners that day, with former coach Markus Babbel's team already 3-0 down by the interval.

3 August 2013 – Record win in Bremen after goalless first half

After the debacle of the previous year, a first-round exit needed to be prevented at all costs. The TSG fans in attendance at Bremer SG Aumund-Vegesack witnessed two completely different halves. The Oberliga side held their own for a long time and kept it goalless until the 52nd minute – at which point the floodgates opened. TSG went on to score nine goals and set the record for their biggest-ever victory in the DFB-Pokal.

17 August 2014 – A day to remember for "Schippo"

With nine goals and seven assists, no-one has notched more cup scorer points for TSG than Sven Schipplock. A substantial contribution to that tally was made on one afternoon in Hamburg, even though he was substituted off on 63 minutes: the striker notched five goals and one assist in a 9-0 win against USC Paloma, as TSG equalled their biggest-ever triumph in the competition.

10 August 2019 – The first penalty shootout

It is by no means unusual for TSG Hoffenheim to stay the course and play extra-time in the DFB-Pokal, but a winner has always been determined in overtime – until 2019/20. The first round of the cup away to Würzburger Kickers went to a penalty shootout, where Oliver Baumann made two saves to secure progression to the next round.

22 December 2020 – Fürth yet again

TSG Hoffenheim have faced 37 different opponents in their first 19 cup campaigns – but the one they faced first is also the one they have faced the most. Greuther Fürth have been our DFB-Pokal opponents on four occasions, interestingly all in the Kraichgau. TSG have emerged victorious two times – as have the Franconians, who won on penalties in December 2020.

19 January 2022 – A landmark to forget

The most recent DFB-Pokal tie was the 50th game TSG have played in the competition. But the round of 16 tie against SC Freiburg went wrong and ended in a 4-1 victory for our rivals, who reached the Berlin final before losing on penalties to RB Leipzig.

Time for new cup chapters to be written.

Match facts and statistics »