RB coach Ole Werner had hoped for a home game in the cup. That won’t happen. The Saxons have drawn the toughest possible opponent.

The Bundesliga leader against the Bundesliga runner-up: RB Leipzig has drawn the toughest possible opponent for the DFB Cup quarterfinals. The Saxons must travel to FC Bayern Munich. This was the result of the draw conducted by former player and coach Friedhelm Funkel at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The quarterfinal matches will be played on February 3 and 4, as well as February 10 and 11, 2026; the exact dates have not yet been set.

RB’s sporting director, Marcel Schäfer, took the draw in stride. “This is, of course, the toughest possible draw for us and an absolute blockbuster in this DFB Cup quarterfinal. The 0-6 loss from the first matchday won’t play a role in our minds anymore; we’re a completely different team now. So we’re approaching the game as a major challenge, but we’re traveling to Munich with self-confidence, optimism, and certainly not without a chance.”

“This is a very attractive matchup; it’s a shame it’s not being held at our home stadium,” said RB ambassador Perry Bräutigam on ARD. “Bayern is, of course, miles ahead, but anything is possible in the Cup.”

Bayern has always been victorious in the Cup so far

This will be the third time the two teams have faced each other in the DFB Cup. In 2017, Munich won in Leipzig in the second round after a penalty shootout; in 2019, Bayern won 3-0 in the final. But 2023 showed that RB can also win cup matches against Munich. Back then, the Saxons were successful in Munich with a 3-0 victory.

RB defeated 1. FC Magdeburg 3-1 in the round of 16. Prior to that, the Saxons had won 4-2 against SV Sandhausen in the first round and then 4-1 against FC Energie Cottbus.