Holders versus record winners: Bayern vs. Wolfsburg in cup final

The title defence continues. After the 4-0 win over SGS Essen in the semi-final on Easter Monday, FC Bayern Women are through to the final of the DFB Cup, where they’ll meet VfL Wolfsburg at the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne on 14 May 2026. It sees the current cup holders once again take on the 11-time winners of the competition. fcbayern.com gives you an overview of the upcoming final.

🎟️ Tickets for the FCB section at the DFB Cup final will go on general sale on 9 April at 16:00 CEST. Fan clubs and season ticket holders will be informed by FC Bayern in advance.

Bayern’s road: Strength away from home the basis

Convincing, even on the road: FC Bayern Women triumphed at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion on their way to the final in Cologne.

Bayern’s road to the final has been marked by convincing displays, all of them away from home up to the semi-final. Victories in Dortmund (2-0) and Ingolstadt (3-0) laid the foundation, before a commanding 3-0 win at Hamburger SV in the quarter-finals. Only in the last four did José Barcala’s side get to play on home soil at the FC Bayern Campus as they eased into the final with a comfortable 4-0 success against SGS Essen.

Wolfsburg’s road to Cologne: Efficient & resolute

Tight affair: The She-Wolves needed a penalty shootout to edge past FC Carl Zeiss Jena 5-4. | © Imago

Wolfsburg’s path to the final in Cologne has been somewhat trickier. Although it began with an 11-0 thrashing of ATS Buntentor in the first round, they faced Bundesliga opposition already in the next round in SC Freiburg. Nevertheless the She-Wolves came through, winning 3-1 at the AOK Stadion.

In the quarter-finals, a battling 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt was enough to overcome the next hurdle. They were then really pushed all the way in the semi-finals at FC Carl Zeiss Jena, where a tight, tactical contest unfolded, in which both teams largely cancelled each other out for 120 minutes. It had to be settled by penalties, with Wolfsburg narrowly winning 5-4 to secure their place in the final.

FC Bayern Women lifted the DFB Cup for the first time since 2012 last year. | © Imago

And so the two dominant forces in German women’s football will meet again in mid-May. The Bundesliga title has gone to one of the two clubs in each of the last 13 seasons, while no other club boast as much final experience in the DFB Cup as Wolfsburg. The She-Wolves had a grip on the competition from 2015 to 2024, winning it 10 years in a row, but now Bayern have reached their third consecutive final and will travel to Cologne as holders with the clear aim of consolidating their position at the top of the game.

Stage set for next great encounter

Bayern won 4-1 in their most recent meeting with Wolfsburg thanks to a Jovana Damnjanović brace. | © Imago

This year’s showdown will be the third cup final between Bayern and Wolfsburg after 2018 and 2024 – VfL came out on top both times. However, Munich have fared better in recent meetings, winning five of the last six in all competitions – including the two Supercup clashes in Karlsruhe and Dresden. Their last defeat against the Lower Saxony side came on 12 October 2024, when FCB went down 2-0. The aim for 2026 is therefore clear: defend the DFB Cup crown for the first time and clinch the third cup success in the club’s history.

🏟️✨ Bayern face Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals – tickets for the first leg at the Allianz Arena are available here!