DFB Cup: Familiar faces and amateurs in the draw

In just over two weeks' time (29 June), TSG Hoffenheim will kick off their preparations for the 2019/20 season. The first competitive clash of the campaign will be the First Round of the DFB Cup, to be played between 9 and 12 August. The draw for the opening round of the competition will be conducted on the ARD "Sportschau" programme on Saturday evening. Below, achtzehn99.de brings you the full lowdown on the participants.

Sixty-four teams have qualified for the First Round of the DFB Cup and will be hoping for a long cup run. The 36 teams in the top two tiers of German football will be in prime position to make the showpiece final in Berlin, but lower-level outfits such as sixth-division side FSV Salmrohr and Oberliga outfit FC 08 Villingen will also be hoping to make a name for themselves in the tournament.

In the draw for the first round, the teams are divided into two groups. The first pot consists of all the teams in the Bundesliga and the clubs that occupied the top 14 positions in the 2. Bundesliga last season, while the second pot comprises the four remaining second-tier teams, the top four third-division sides and 24 representatives from the regional associations. Each team from Pot 1 will face an opponent from Pot 2. An overview of all the participants can be found here.

One sixth-tier side and five Oberliga representatives

As well as the bottom four second-tier sides from the 2018/19 season – Sandhausen, Ingolstadt, Magdeburg and Duisburg – and the three teams that gained promotion from the third division – Osnabrück, Karlsruhe and Wehen-Wiesbaden – there are some notable lower-league participants in Pot 2: sixth-division side FSV Salmrohr, who won the "Rheinland-Pokal", plus Oberliga outfits KSV Baunatal (Hesse), FC Oberneuland (Bremen), TuS Dassendorf (Hamburg), SV Atlas Delmenhorst (Lower Saxony) und FC 08 Villingen (South Baden) are all eagerly awaiting a meeting with a professional club.

Among the participants are several clubs who have historically fared very well in the competition, including the likes of Waldhof Mannheim, SSV Ulm, Alemannia Aachen and 1. FC Saarbrücken. The quartet have all qualified for this season's edition and could meet TSG in the opening round.

Nia Künzer to conduct the draw

The exact times and dates of the fixtures will not be announced by the DFB until 10-12 days after the draw, which will be conducted by world champion and ARD pundit Nia Künzer on Saturday evening. Further info on the draw and scheduling can be found here.