Borussia Dortmund are one of the most successful teams in the DFB-Pokal with five titles to their names. But it's been a while since the side won their last trophy in the competition, which came in 2021.
Since then, Die Borussen have made several early exits from the tournament with the exception of 2022-23 season when they marched all the way to the quarter-finals.
Under Niko Kovac, they were expected to make a deep run but for the third time in their last five seasons, Dortmund were knocked out in the round of 16.
Here's a complete review of their 2025-26 DFB-Pokal season:
Rot-Weiss Essen 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (first round)
Dortmund were handed an easy start to the cup campaign with a fixture away to third-tier side Rot-Weiss Essen. Or so it seemed on paper. But the minnows proved to be a hard nut to crack as the BVB were struggling to break them down despite playing their best XI until Serhou Guirassy bailed them out in the 79th minute with a goal.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Borussia Dortmund (second round)
Having lost on their last visit to Frankfurt, Dortmund knew this one would be challenging too. And it sure was, with the Eagles going in front after just seven minutes through Ansgar Knauff.
The BVB trailed at the break but Julian Brandt brought them level just minutes into the restart. With no further goals, the match went into a shootout where Ritsu Doan and Fares Chaibi missed their spot-kicks for Frankfurt while Dortmund converted all four of theirs to advance.
Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen (round of 16)
This is where it all came to an end, and rather surprisingly. Just days before this clash, Dortmund beat Leverkusen 2-1 on the road in their Bundesliga encounter and came to Signal Iduna Park confident of their chances once more.
Die Werkself were struggling at the time but tore the script apart with a resolute display to keep their mighty hosts at bay while Ibrahim Maza netted the only goal of the game in the 34th minute.
Kovac's side were expected to fight back after the interval but chances were hard to come by. Karim Adeyemi's two missed chances in the opening stanza proved costly, while he also rattled the side-netting in stoppage-time.
Conclusion
Dortmund's campaign was over after just three games, of which they won only one in normal time. In neither of those games were BVB fully convincing, even struggling against a side languishing in third division.
With Bayern Munich restoring their hegemony in the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal can be a nice opportunity for Dortmund to pick up a silverware. But for that to happen, the side must approaching the cup fixtures seriously.
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