Arminia Bielefeld dares to dream as it meets Bundesliga’s VfB Stuttgart in German Cup final

On Saturday in Berlin, third-tier Arminia Bielefeld — playing in the same league as VfB Stuttgart’s reserves — dares to dream against the Bundesliga giant in the DFB-Pokal final. For the minnows, recently promoted to the German second division, a roaring 75,000 at the Olympiastadion will witness the fairy tale’s final chapter.

Coached by Michel Kniat and full of previously unknown players, it has taken Arminia five rounds to reach Berlin, with each win coming against teams from higher divisions, including four Bundesliga sides. No third-division team has ever beaten four top-flight clubs in a row in a single DFB-Pokal campaign before.

It will now face five-time Bundesliga champion and three-time German Cup winner Stuttgart, which, just a few months ago, was competing in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Arminia, which is chasing the first major trophy in its 120-year history, is only the fourth club from the third-tier to reach the final following Union Berlin (2001), Energie Cottbus (1997), and Hertha BSC’s reserve team (1993).

The true scale of the gulf in class between these two sides can be quantified by Opta’s Power Ranking, which ranks Stuttgart 50th in the world, with five players in Germany’s 26-man Nations League semifinal squad, while its opponent is 507th.

The vast difference in squad valuation also highlights the disparity — Stuttgart’s squad is valued at over €350 million, according to Transfermarkt, while Armenia’s stands at a mere €8.23 million.

The 2-1 semifinal victory over Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, the defending champion, demonstrated why Arminia’s run is not just a mere smash-and-grab team. It generated more expected goals (xG) than its illustrious opponent, with Arminia having an xG of 1.43 on the night compared to Leverkusen’s 0.95

Despite the odds stacked against it, Arminia’s waspish pressing, lightning-quick counterattacks, and tactical dexterity have helped it slay one dragon after another. Names like Marius Worl, Mael Corboz, Louis Oppie, Jonas Kersken, Sam Schreck, and Christopher Lannert have transcended local adoration, becoming national darlings.

Since its Bundesliga debut in 1970-71, the club has been on a veritable roller-coaster ride, plummeting and soaring between Germany’s top and third tiers. Its most recent spell in the top flight in the 2021-22 season was followed by successive relegations.

Ahead of the final, Armenia coach Kniat said a German Cup win would mean “everything, simply everything,” to the club, supporters and the city.

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“I’m often told to relax and enjoy Berlin. I’d love to,” Kniat told Die Welt, but added, “I can only do that if we actually win the Cup.”

Those words would have seemed absurd to Arminia fans back then. The 39-year-old had just taken the helm of a team teetering on the edge of relegation to amateur leagues. Yet, in just two seasons, he’s brought the club to the precipice of European football, with the German Cup winner securing a spot in next season’s Europa League.

Only once has a team from outside the top-flight won the German Cup: second-division Hannover in 1992.

The 2024/25 season has been a season of underdog triumphs. Tottenham Hotspur shattered its 17-year trophy drought, while Crystal Palace soared to new heights, clinching its first-ever major trophy.

However, even these monumental achievements will pale in comparison if Arminia manages to seize the DFB-Pokal. It would become a fairytale for the ages.