Cup Excitement Begins in Germany: Giants Take the Stage in Niederrheinpokal, Here are the First Round Matches

## New Season's First Kick in Cologne Amateur Football: Ford-Pokal Draw Takes Breath Away In Germany's Cologne football region, the excitement of the 2024/2025 season officially began with the traditional cup competition. The 1st round draw of the Ford-Pokal, where amateur spirit and passion are experienced in their purest form under the shadow of professional leagues, took place at SC Holweide's club building. Conducted by Cologne Regional Football Committee Chairman Markus Vinken and Match Day Committee Chairman Josef Spisla, the draw brought together 128 teams, setting the stage for both tough derbies and classic "David and Goliath" stories. As every year, this year as well, the draw rekindled that magical atmosphere where small clubs dream big and lower league teams have the chance to host their upper-league opponents on their own turf. When the calendars show Sunday, July 28, 2024, this first round match, to be held on fields in and around Cologne, is just the beginning of a long and grueling marathon. The ultimate goal is quite large: to take the first step on the road to the German Football Association Cup (DFB-Pokal). ## The Meaning of the Cup: A Dream Spanning from Local to National Stage For football fans in Turkey, understanding Germany's complex football pyramid and cup system is critical to grasping the importance of this news. The Ford-Pokal holds far greater significance than just being a regional cup. This cup is the most prestigious tournament in the Cologne region (Kreis Köln), granting the champion team the right to participate in the Middle Rhine Football Association Cup (FVM-Pokal or Bitburger-Pokal), which is a higher level. Here lies the real big prize: The team that wins the FVM-Pokal earns the chance to inscribe its name into the main draw of the DFB-Pokal—where giants like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund reside, known to all of Germany. This system even theoretically contains the possibility for a village team struggling in the lowest league, Kreisliga D, to advance through several rounds and face a Bundesliga giant in a nationally televised match. This is not just a financial gain, but also an opportunity to experience an unforgettable moment that will go down in the history of the club and remain a life-long memory for players and fans. Therefore, each draw conducted in SC Holweide's modest club building was essentially the first spark of this great dream. ## First Round's Highlight Matches: Derbies and Surprise Candidates The draw promised football fans exciting matches right from the first round. Particularly, two matches have already become the most talked about among the draw. Last season's champion and the cup's biggest favorite FC Pesch is starting its journey to defend its title with a tough away game. Pesch will face one of its tough opponents from the Landesliga (state league), SC West Köln. This match is not only a battle between two equally matched forces but also extra significant for being a Cologne derby. The tussle between FC Pesch, which finished third in the Landesliga Mittelrhein 1 Group last season, and SC West Köln, which placed tenth in the same league, stands out as one of the most unpredictable matches of the round. Another Landesliga derby will take place between SpVg Flittard and SV Deutz 05. Having achieved a promotion from Bezirksliga to Landesliga last season, SpVg Flittard will take to the field to prove that its success was not a coincidence. Their opponent, SV Deutz 05, finishing fourth last season, has already proven its strength. The clash between these two teams will also provide the first clues about the balance of power in Landesliga for the new season. In line with the spirit of the cup, the draw also presented numerous lower league teams with a significant opportunity. Teams in Kreisliga C and D have gained the advantage of hosting their higher league opponents on their fields, as per the regulations. This enhances the potential for smaller clubs to seize the advantage of field and crowd, possibly toppling giants and proves how open the cup is to surprises. ## Complete List: Ford-Pokal 1st Round Matches (July 28, 2024) Here is the full list of 64 match-ups that will decide the fate of Cologne's football world in the first round: * SC West Köln - FC Pesch * SpVg Flittard - SV Deutz 05 * SC Borussia Lindenthal-Hohenlind - SC Blau-Weiß 06 Köln * DJK Südwest Köln - SC Holweide * CfB Ford Niehl - SpVg Rheinkassel-Langel * SV Roggendorf/Thenhoven - Pulheimer SC * Türk Genc SV Köln - SV Schlebusch * RSV Urbach - SC Rondorf * SSV Vingst 05 - TuS Roland Bürrig * CfB Niehl II - SV Altenberg * FC Pesch II - TuS Stammheim * TPSK - SV Bergfried Leverkusen * TuS Köln rrh. - SpVg Porz * GSV Prometheus Porz - Gencler Birligi Bergisch Gladbach * Ideal CF Casa de Espana - DSK Köln * SC Weiler-Volkhoven - SC Leverkusen * SSV Roggendorf/Thenhoven II - DJK Viktoria Buchheim * FC Rheinsüd Köln - TuS Königsdorf * SV Gremberg-Humboldt - SC Germania Reusrath * SC Borussia Lindenthal-Hohenlind II - SV Deutz 05 II * FC Schwadorf - SV Lövenich/Widdersdorf * DJK Löwe Köln - FC Hürth II * Adler Dellbrück - SV Schlebusch II * FC Germania Zündorf - FC Leverkusen * VfL Rheingold Poll - SC Hitdorf * Raderthal Kickers - SSV Lützenkirchen * SV Türk Genc II - TuS Stammheim II * FC Fenerbahce Köln - SC Rondorf II * FC Bosna Köln - TSV Weiss * SC Borussia Kalk - SSV Ostheim * SV Mevlana Porz - FC Bensberg * ESV Olympia Köln - Heiligenhauser SV * SC Mülheim Nord - BV 04 Bergisch Gladbach * Türk Nippes - SV Bechen * SpVg Wahn-Grengel - SV Union Rösrath * FC Mustafa - DJK Jan Wellem Bergisch Gladbach * Sportfreunde 93 - SV Fühlingen-Chorweiler * CfB Nippes 12 - SC Brück * FC BG Köln-Süd - SV Refrath/Frankenforst * VfL Sürth - TuS Immekeppel * Kalk Genclik - Rot-Schwarz Neubrück * 1. FSV Köln 1899 - DJK Siegfried Agathaberg * Türk KSV Köln - TuS Marialinden * SC Schcenter - Gencler Birligi Bergisch Gladbach II * Roland West - SC Dünnwald * Croatia Köln - SV Westhoven-Ensen * Polonia Köln - TV Hoffnungsthal * Heumar - FC Anadolu * Rheingold Flittard - DJK Wipperfeld * Arminia 09 - Eintracht Hohkeppel II * FC Süryoye - SV Bergisch Gladbach 09 II * Vingst 05 II - SV Linde * SC Köln-Mülheim - TuS Moitzfeld * TSV Merheim - VfR Wipperfürth * RSV Rath-Heumar II - Rot-Weiß Olpe * Voran Buchforst - TuS Lindlar * Urania - BSV Biesfeld * SV Gremberg-Humboldt II - TV Herkenrath * VfL Rheingold Poll II - Heiligenhauser SV II * SC Holweide II - BV 25 Drabenderhöhe * Adler Dellbrück II - TuS Elsenroth * SpVg Porz II - SV Frömmersbach * Germania Zündorf II - Jan Wellem II * SV Westhoven-Ensen II - FV Wiehl II This long list is the most beautiful indicator of how well-established and widespread football is in the Cologne region. Each match contains its own story and excitement. With the first official whistle of the season, a new adventure filled with hope and dreams will begin for teams and fans. Eyes are now on the matches to be played on July 28 and from which grounds the first surprises of the cup will come.