Women's DFB Pokal First Round
Magic of the Cup Begins in Magdeburg?
1. FC Union Berlin's women’s team will get their DFB Pokal campaign underway on Sunday when they travel to play 1. FC Magdeburg. Kick off in the Avnet Arena is at 14:00.
The lie of the land
1. FC Magdeburg are unbeaten after five games, and are currently second in the Regionalliga Nordost table with 13 points. Leaders, RasenBallsport Leipzig II, are ahead only courtesy of their one-goal better goal difference.
After starting the season with four losses, Union’s women secured their first points of 2026/27 with a spectacular 3-2 home win over RasenBallsport Leipzig.
1. FC Magdeburg have fielded a women’s football team following the merger with Union's long-time Regionalliga rival, Magdeburger FFC, who played in the 2. Bundesliga from 2009 to 2015. Notable players such as long-time German international goalkeeper Almuth Schult (2008–2011) and current striker Selina Cerci (2016–2017) also played for MFFC in their youth.
1. FC Magdeburg finished in third place in the Regionalliga last season, one place ahead of Union's U-23s. Magdeburg won the first encounter between the sides earlier this season, 6-0. With 20 goals scored, FCM can boast of the best attack in the league; the top scorer is Neele Abraham with four goals.
Nico Koch's side have already played in this season's DFB-Pokal, against Holstein Kiel in the Play-offs, in which the top-flight teams and the two Bundesliga relegation teams from last season do not have to participate. Magdeburg progressed through to the first round proper with a 3-0 win.
Magdeburger FFC faced Union 25 times, with Union winning 17 games, and Magdeburg five. The last game took place in Union's Regionalliga promotion season in May 2024, which Union won 9-0. From the current squad, Lisa Heiseler scored a brace, while Naika Reissner and Dina Orschmann both scored once
Magdeburg's Pearl Neumann and Mara Rückstiß played in Union's U-17s.
Union's coaching team will have to do without Anna Aehling, Cara Bösl, Hannah Eurlings, Lisanne Gräwe, Lisa Heiseler, Ida Heikkinen, Korina Janež, Mariann Noack, and Tanja Pawollek on Sunday.
“We are traveling to Magdeburg highly motivated and are finally looking forward to the start of the DFB Pokal. We go into this match as favourites and want to live up to that role, but the cup does not forgive any negligence. The goal is to show from the first minute why we want to reach the next round. We are especially looking forward to the support of our fans who will accompany us to Magdeburg. We want to give them an intense and successful match.”
The match will be broadcast live and free on DFB.TV. Additionally, Union will provide updates on the club's own live ticker as well as in English on twitter. As ever a comprehensive, English-only match report will be published on the Union site shortly after the final whistle
