News (engl.)

DFB GmbH & Co. KG, the commercial arm of the German Football Association (DFB), today announced a major expansion of its international media rights distribution for the men’s DFB-Pokal (German FA Cup), unveiling a strong first wave of global broadcast and streaming partners for the upcoming rights cycle covering the 2026/27 - 2029/30 seasons. Headlined by an exclusive four-year deal with ESPN do Brasil, the new agreements significantly broaden the global footprint of Germany’s premier club football knockout competition across key markets in Europe, the Americas, Asia and beyond.

The newly secured partnerships reflect the growing global demand for the DFB-Pokal and underline the DFB’s strategy to deliver comprehensive, multi-platform access to fans worldwide. The agreements include a mix of free-to-air broadcasters, pay-TV networks and OTT streaming services while allowing the DFB to pursue its D2C strategy with own offerings such as 'DFB Play' (OTT platform) and 'DFB Play TV' (FAST channel) in a growing number of territories.

Worldwide distribution

In Europe, long-standing partners such as Ziggo (Netherlands), L’Équipe (France), Charlton (Israel), Disney+ (Denmark, Sweden and Finland), VG (Norway), Arena (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), Pragosport (Eastern Europe), Saran (Türkiye, Ukraine & CIS) and TV 3 (Baltics) are joined by new DFB-Pokal broadcasters beIN (France – pay TV), RTL (Croatia & Slovenia) and DIGI Sports (Romania).

Following Harry Kane’s world-class performance in the recent Final, Samsung TV Plus will remain a strong partner of the DFB-Pokal in the UK and in a number of other European markets by carrying DFB’s FAST Channel 'DFB Play TV'. In addition, Premier Sports will continue to air one top match per round.

ESPN Africa will continue to serve as a key DFB partner in Sub-Saharan Africa and - together with SportyTV in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa - complete the regional footprint alongside the existing partnership with Abu Dhabi Media Network in MENA.

In Asia, Gaora (Japan) and TrueVisions NOW (Thailand) join as new partners while the longstanding cooperation with Coupang (South Korea) has been prolonged for another four seasons.

"Growing global relevance of the DFB-Pokal"

Together, these partnerships mark a significant milestone in the global development of the DFB-Pokal, which continues to attract increasing international interest thanks to its unique knockout format, rich heritage, and appeal to diverse audiences worldwide.

"This strong first wave of international partners underlines the growing global relevance of the DFB-Pokal," said Kay Dammholz, Director Media Rights at DFB GmbH & Co. KG. "By working with a diverse portfolio of leading broadcasters and platforms across all key regions, we are significantly expanding access for fans worldwide and further strengthening the international profile of our premium cup competition. A significant number of broadcast agreements with further attractive media partners are currently being negotiated and will be soon announced."

The DFB-Pokal, founded in 1935, is Germany’s most prestigious cup competition, featuring 64 teams from across professional and amateur levels including top flights FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund from the very beginning of the competition. For the first time ever, international fans will have the opportunity to enjoy all 63 matches per season with English graphics & commentary thanks to a new production agreement with IMG Studios.