The round of 16 has been drawn and the date of the DFB Cup final on 23 May 2026 in Berlin has been set – but one important condition remains unfulfilled: There is no new lease agreement between the DFB and the State of Berlin as owner and operator of the Olympic Stadium. The last contract expired after the final in May between Stuttgart and Bielefeld (4:2), and since then difficult negotiations have been taking place with the Berlin Senate regarding a new five-year contract. Important point: The DFB will only extend the extension if the reception situation at the stadium is significantly improved through structural changes and this guarantees greater safety for spectators.
Background: The 74,475-seat Olympic Stadium has only two main entrances, namely the Olympic Gate in the east and the much smaller south gate. However, for the cup final, two large fan camps poured into the arena, 24,000 supporters of each of the two finalists – 67 percent through the east gate, 33 percent through the south gate.
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Consequences: In May, many Arminia supporters queued for around 90 minutes in front of a malfunctioning entrance at the south gate turnstiles, without the opportunity to go to the toilet or buy a drink in the hot weather. The DFB saw the risk of mass panic due to the tense atmosphere, which could only be avoided by the careful behavior of the Bielefeld team. This must not happen again.
Going forward, the DFB is demanding a solution from the Senate that guarantees a smooth process and better security – especially if the final is classified as a high-risk match due to the presence of two participants and strict separation of fan camps is required.
But for the Senate, raising stadium rental prices is a priority before addressing the problem. It seems
with the belief that the “German Wembley” will definitely remain in Berlin, which has hosted the cup final since 1985. Meanwhile, the DFB is already working on Plan B as a permanent replacement: the Munich Arena.
Now there is a rethink in the Senate – also considering the fact that, according to the city’s own evaluation, the cup weekend generates around 50 million euros from thousands of football tourists. A working group consisting of the DFB, state government, police and architects is looking for a solution. Based on SPORT BILD information from the Senate, it looks like this: the south gate and the inflow area in front of it are enlarged, so that the fans are spread across the two gates in a 50:50 ratio. Hertha BSC will also benefit from this in its home games.
Concretely, this means: The south gate will be expanded by 30 turnstiles. For the inflow area, it is not only the South PO parking lot in front that must be provided with a road and the height difference must also be compensated for. But also part of fences and hedges. However, like the 89-year-old Olympic Stadium, built for the Nazi Olympic Games in 1936, it is under monument protection as the entire Olympic site, including the building structures, open spaces, and vegetation, is listed as a park monument. Meaning: Not only the Berlin building authority, the monument authority must also give the green light. But that’s what is assumed.
There is currently nothing standing in the way of extending the lease agreement to 2030, which will happen soon. The Senate will cover the costs of permanently installed modifications, and the DFB will pay for additional mobile entry control measures, which are only used in cup finals.
Since there likely won’t be enough time until the final in May 2026 to expand the south gate, expanded mobile measures will be used. This includes metal detectors (open gates), such as those used at the Munich Arena, which replace more time-consuming scanning by security personnel.
