2016–17 DFB-Pokal
The 2016–17 DFB-Pokal was the 74th season of the annual German football cup competition. Sixty-four teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It began on 19 August 2016 with the first of six rounds and ended on 27 May 2017 with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 1985. The DFB-Pokal is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga championship. The DFB-Pokal is run by the German Football Association (DFB).
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Venue(s) | Olympiastadion, Berlin |
| Dates | 19 August 2016 – 27 May 2017 |
| Teams | 64 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Borussia Dortmund (4th title) |
| Runner-up | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Europa League | Hertha BSC |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 63 |
| Goals scored | 200 (3.17 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,394,666 (22,138 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Robert Lewandowski (5 goals) |
| Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs not included. | |
The defending champions were Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, after they beat Borussia Dortmund 4–3 on penalties in the previous final. Bayern Munich were knocked out of the competition in the semi-finals by Borussia Dortmund, the eventual winners, losing 2–3.
Borussia Dortmund defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1 in the final to claim their fourth title and first since 2012.
Borussia Dortmund, the winners of the DFB-Pokal had already earned automatic qualification for the group stage of the 2017–18 edition of the UEFA Champions League through position in the Bundesliga. Therefore, the Europa League group stage spot went to the team in sixth, Hertha BSC, and the league's third qualifying round spot to the team in seventh, SC Freiburg. Dortmund also hosted the 2017 edition of the DFL-Supercup at the start of the 2017–18 season, when they faced the champion of the 2016–17 Bundesliga, Bayern Munich.