Planning to watch Cottbus - FC Augsburg in the DFB-Pokal? The football match takes place on 22 August 2026 at LEAG Energie Stadion in Cottbus. Prepare your trip, check stadium, transport and parking information, and plan your ticket purchase for this cup tie
Cottbus vs FC Augsburg: a cup tie arriving at just the right time for the hosts
FC Energie Cottbus welcomes FC Augsburg in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB-Pokal, in a match that brings together a newly promoted second-division side and a team that finished last season in the top half of the Bundesliga. Cottbus returned to the 2. Bundesliga after twelve years and already showed in its first step how much home advantage can mean: Hannover 96 was beaten 3:1 in front of 18,361 spectators. Augsburg, ninth in the 2025/26 Bundesliga, comes to Cottbus for its first competitive match of the new season.
That is an important difference in rhythm. Claus-Dieter Wollitz's team will already have played two league matches by the time of the cup tie, while Manuel Baum and Augsburg complete their preparations before Cottbus with an away match against Leeds United. The hosts will therefore have more competitive minutes in their legs, but also less time between serious matches. Augsburg, on the other hand, comes in fresher, though without a previous league test.
For Cottbus, this is an opportunity to confirm the strength of a returning side, and for Augsburg to avoid the typical first-round cup trap against a motivated lower-division host. Tickets for this match have been in demand among supporters.
Why Cottbus enters this match with belief
The most important signal came in the first round of the 2. Bundesliga. Hannover had more initiative for large parts of the match and created more dangerous situations, but Cottbus did not lose its structure. Marcel Lotka saved the hosts several times, while Wollitz reacted at half-time with three changes. Moritz Hannemann, Fousseny Doumbia and Justin Butler came on for Jannis Boziaris, Jannis Zaydan and Lucas Copado.
The key moment came after the break. Erik Engelhardt created space in the penalty area, Hannemann attacked the ball and won a penalty, and Tolcay Cigerci scored to make it 2:1. Five minutes later Justin Butler scored for the final 3:1. That outcome describes well why Cottbus can be dangerous in a cup format: even when it does not control the match, it can stay alive, change the rhythm through substitutions and punish a few good situations.
During pre-season, Cottbus already tested itself against Bundesliga-level opposition. Werder Bremen won 4:2 at the LEAG Energie Stadion, but the hosts were very competitive in the early phase of the match and took the lead through Tolcay Cigerci. The result also showed the other side of the story: against a technically stronger opponent, Cottbus can hardly survive if it leaves too much space between the lines or fails to turn its better phases into goals.
Engelhardt, Cigerci and the question of availability
Erik Engelhardt was the central figure in attack during the promotion season. In the 2025/26 3. Liga, he scored 22 goals and added six assists in 38 appearances. Cottbus extended his contract during the summer, which says enough about his importance to Wollitz's team.
However, eight days before the match against Augsburg, a serious uncertainty emerged. Engelhardt injured his knee in training on 13 August and left the pitch with the help of club staff. At the time this guide was prepared, a precise diagnosis had not yet been announced, so it would not be responsible to claim whether he will be able to play. His status will be one of the most important pieces of news ahead of the match.
Tolcay Cigerci remains the key creator. After last season, the club described him as one of the team's leading players, and in his first two seasons for Cottbus he accumulated 34 goals and 21 assists in 80 competitive appearances. Against Hannover, he already opened the new season with a penalty goal.
Cottbus will, however, definitely be without Leonardo Bittencourt in the cup. The experienced midfielder must serve a suspension carried over from the previous season of the competition, following a second yellow card he received as a Werder Bremen player. It is an important absence because Bittencourt can provide composure under pressure and quality between the lines.
Augsburg arrives with quality, but without league rhythm
FC Augsburg finished the 2025/26 season in ninth place in the Bundesliga with 43 points. The team also had a very good second half of the season - it collected 28 points during the spring portion, the best such return in the club's Bundesliga history. Manuel Baum therefore enters the new season not with a team that needs to be built from the ground up, but with a core that has already shown it can play consistently against strong opponents.
Augsburg's leading league scorers last season were Anton Kade, Michael Gregoritsch and Fabian Rieder, each with six goals. Robin Fellhauer was the player with the highest total distance covered in the team, while goalkeeper Finn Dahmen recorded 116 saves and played all 34 Bundesliga rounds.
Preparations, however, have not followed a straight line. Augsburg lost 5:2 to Bournemouth, then convincingly defeated lower-league SC Schwaz 15:0, and on 8 August beat Sassuolo 3:2 after trailing 0:2. That comeback against the Italian top-flight side is worth highlighting because it shows one important characteristic: Baum's team did not collapse after a poor start, but gradually took more possession and began pushing the opponent deeper.
Against Sassuolo, Fellhauer, Kade and Hennes Behrens scored. It is particularly interesting that the goals came from different situations - a header after a cross, a composed Kade finish following a long ball and Behrens's reaction to a rebound. Cottbus therefore cannot defend only one zone or one striker.
Where the match could be decided
The biggest tactical question will be whether Cottbus can withstand Augsburg's pressure without dropping too deep. Against Hannover, the hosts survived longer intervals in which the opponent created chances, but relying on another outstanding goalkeeping performance is not a sustainable plan. Augsburg has enough quality to punish mistakes in the first phase of building from the back.
On the other hand, Augsburg must account for the hosts' directness. Engelhardt, if fit, can occupy the centre-backs and open space for players arriving from deeper positions. Cigerci can attack the half-space or shoot after a loose ball, while Butler and Hannemann already showed against Hannover how much energy they can bring from the bench.
Set pieces and the second wave of attacks could be particularly important for Cottbus. In a cup tie in which the favourite is under pressure from the scoreline, every loose ball, every free kick in the final third and every corner can change the dynamics. Augsburg will try to make the match as "normal" as possible - keep the ball, reduce the number of transitions and force the hosts to defend for long periods. Cottbus is better suited to a match with changes of rhythm, duels and short phases in which the stadium can become involved in the game.
Head-to-head meetings: few matches, but an interesting pattern
These clubs are not regular opponents. Before the current cup tie, they played four official matches, all in the 2. Bundesliga during the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons. Cottbus remained unbeaten in both home meetings.
- 09.08.2009: Energie Cottbus - FC Augsburg 3:1
- 17.01.2010: FC Augsburg - Energie Cottbus 3:1
- 04.12.2010: FC Augsburg - Energie Cottbus 4:0
- 02.05.2011: Energie Cottbus - FC Augsburg 1:1
Results from that period do not predict 2026, but they provide an interesting historical note: Augsburg still has no away win at Cottbus. This time it arrives as the higher-division club and with a clear role as favourite, but home advantage is once again an important part of the story.
LEAG Energie Stadion: a compact ground with supporters close to the action
The match is played at the LEAG Energie Stadion, formerly known as Stadion der Freundschaft. The arena is primarily intended for football and is enclosed by four stands, which keeps the sound of the crowd close to the pitch. The maximum capacity is listed as 22,528, while the actual capacity for individual matches, depending on safety and infrastructure requirements, usually ranges between 20,000 and 20,600.
To get a sense of the atmosphere that can be expected, it is enough to look at the league return against Hannover: there were 18,361 spectators in the stadium. A cup match against a Bundesliga side logically brings additional interest. Seats in the stands are disappearing quickly.
Away supporters are normally accommodated in standing blocks N and O and seated block S1. The away section has a separate entrance on the south side of the stadium, from the Stadtring side. The loudest home sections are concentrated around the "Nordwand" and other standing blocks, so Augsburg will have a very clear sense from the opening minutes that it is playing away from home.
Getting to the stadium and parking
The stadium is located by Stadtring, at a relatively convenient distance from the main railway station and the city centre. For visitors coming to Cottbus for the first time, the simplest option is not to complicate matters by trying to drive directly into the area immediately around the stadium.
- From Cottbus Hauptbahnhof to the stadium, allow approximately 15-20 minutes on foot.
- The Sandower Dreieck and Parzellenstraße car parks have limited capacity and charge a fee.
- From the direction of Berlin or Dresden, a practical option is P+R Sachsendorf, then tram line 4 to Görlitzer Straße followed by a few more minutes on foot.
- From the south and Poland, the club recommends P+R Thiemstraße, also with a connection via tram line 4 towards Görlitzer Straße.
- In the Sandow residential area, particularly around Hainstraße, parking on matchdays is restricted for residents and checks are carried out.
For this particular cup match, the exact gate-opening time has not yet been announced. It is therefore safer to plan an earlier arrival and check the club's latest organisational notice immediately before travelling. At home matches with greater interest, access points and traffic arrangements can be adjusted according to the safety assessment and expected number of spectators.
Cottbus for visiting supporters
Cottbus is a city in Brandenburg and a natural starting point for the wider Lausitz region. If the visit is not limited only to the match, the city's best-known excursion is Park und Schloss Branitz, a landscaped complex associated with Fürst Pückler. The city's tourist information also highlights the Spree and connections towards the Spreewald.
For a supporter, the more practical fact is that the stadium can be reached on foot from the main railway station, without the need for a complicated transfer through the city. That makes a one-day visit by train easier. For cars, the situation is the opposite: the greater the interest in the match, the more sense it makes to use P+R and complete the final part of the journey by tram or on foot.
What to follow in the final days before the match
Several questions remain open before kick-off. Cottbus visits Arminia Bielefeld on 16 August, and that appearance will show how the team responds after the emotionally powerful opening against Hannover. Augsburg plays its final pre-season test away at Leeds United one day earlier, so only afterwards will it become clearer how Baum is arranging his starting line-up for the first competitive match.
The most important individual topic remains Engelhardt's knee. If Cottbus's first-choice striker is not fit, Wollitz will have to change the way his team holds up long balls and attacks the space behind the last line. Bittencourt's suspension is already a confirmed blow to the hosts' creativity.
For Augsburg, it will be interesting to see whether Anton Kade's form from the end of pre-season carries over into the cup. Against Sassuolo he was a constant threat and scored to make it 2:2, while he finished last Bundesliga season as one of the club's three leading scorers.
It is worth securing tickets in good time, but also leaving enough time for arrival. This match has the ingredients that can make the first cup round uncomfortable for a favourite: a host with renewed confidence, a full stadium and a difference in competitive rhythm.
Sources:
- DFB Datencenter - confirmation of the pairing, date, competition and venue.
- FC Energie Cottbus - report on the 3:1 win against Hannover, team line-up, coach, summer preparations and information about Erik Engelhardt.
- FC Energie Cottbus - information on the LEAG Energie Stadion, capacity, away sections, travel and parking.
- FC Augsburg - pre-season matches, the 3:2 win against Sassuolo, coach Manuel Baum and the final test against Leeds United.
- Bundesliga.com and FC Augsburg - final 2025/26 standings and individual statistics of Augsburg players.
- SPORT1/Opta - history of head-to-head meetings and Leonardo Bittencourt's suspension.
- TAG24 - report from the 13 August training session about Erik Engelhardt's knee injury and the absence of a definitive diagnosis at that time.
- Cottbus Tourismus - city context, Park und Schloss Branitz and the Spree.