The 2019 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 2018–19 DFB-Pokal, the 76th season of the annual German football cup competition. The match was played on 25 May 2019 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
The match featured Bundesliga clubs RB Leipzig, playing in their first final, and Bayern Munich, the record winners of the competition.
Bayern Munich won the final 3–0 for their 19th DFB-Pokal title. With the win, Bayern completed their 12th domestic double, and therefore played away to 2018–19 Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund in the 2019 DFL-Supercup in August 2019. Because Bayern qualified for the Champions League through the Bundesliga, the sixth-place team in the Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg, earned qualification for the group stage of the 2019–20 edition of the UEFA Europa League, and the league's third second round spot went to the team in seventh, Eintracht Frankfurt.
Teams
In the following table, finals until 1943 were in the Tschammerpokal era, since 1953 were in the DFB-Pokal era.
Background
The match will be the first final for RB Leipzig, competing in their seventh season of the tournament. Their previous best performance in the competition was reaching the second round on three occasions (in 2011–12, 2015–16 and 2017–18). Leipzig became the 39th unique club to reach the final, and the first final debutant since Union Berlin in 2001, an achievement reached just short of ten years since the club's founding on 19 May 2009. They are also the first club from Saxony to reach the final since Dresdner SC's win in 1941, as well as the second club from Leipzig to reach the final, after VfB Leipzig won in 1936. A victory would see RB Leipzig win their first major honour, with the club only previously winning regional league and cup titles. They would also become the first team since Bayer Leverkusen in 1993 to win in their debut final.
The final will be the last match for Ralf Rangnick as head coach of Leipzig, as he will return to his post as sporting director following the arrival of Julian Nagelsmann as coach for the 2019–20 season. Following the resignation of Ralph Hasenhüttl, Rangnick took over as head coach for the 2018–19 season, his second stint after leading the club to Bundesliga promotion in the 2015–16 season. While not serving as head coach, he has been the sporting director of the club since the 2012–13 season. The match will be the third DFB-Pokal final for Rangnick, having reached the final twice with Schalke 04 during his two stints at the club. He lost 1–2 to Bayern Munich in 2005, before winning the competition in 2011 with a 5–0 victory against MSV Duisburg.
The match will be the 23rd final for Bayern Munich, extending their competition record. Of the previous finals, Bayern has won on 18 occasions, also a competition record, and lost four times. This is the second consecutive final for Bayern, having lost in the 2018 final to Eintracht Frankfurt, who were led by now-Bayern coach Niko Kovač. Bayern's last final victory was in 2016, where they won on penalties against Borussia Dortmund. Bayern are chasing a league and cup double, having won the 2018–19 Bundesliga on the final matchday, a week prior to the final. Bayern has previously completed the double on 11 occasions (in 2013 as part of a treble), a record in Germany, most recently in 2016.