Pokal

Four teams, three matches, one goal: the four best teams of the cup season will compete against each other in the Liebherr Cup Final Four on January 4, 2025. FC Saarbrücken TT, TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, SV Werder Bremen and TTC OE Bad Homburg will battle it out for the first title of the year in the ratiopharm arena Ulm/Neu-Ulm, with the semi-finals and final taking place on one day in an exciting and compact format.

Everything is ready for the big anniversary celebration: the Liebherr Cup Final Four is being held in the ratiopharm arena Ulm/Neu-Ulm for the tenth time in a row, and spectators can look forward to an event of superlatives. Once again this year, the organizing Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) is expecting around 5,000 fans - guaranteeing an outstanding backdrop and a great atmosphere. All spectators can look forward to world-class sport, as numerous top stars have announced their attendance on January 4.

Among others, Patrick Franziska and Darko Jorgic will compete for 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, Hugo Calderano and Simon Gauzy for TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, Mattias Falck and Kirill Gerassimenko for SV Werder Bremen, Kristian Karlsson for TTC OE Bad Homburg. The semi-finals will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday and will be played in parallel on two tables. After a short changeover phase, the big title showdown will take place on the center court.

Ochsenhausen sets its sights on title number five

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen have set their sights on their fifth title. The local hero - Ochsenhausen and the ratiopharm arena are only around 35 kilometers apart as the crow flies - is the second most successful team in Cup history with four titles to date, behind record winners Düsseldorf (28) and on a par with SSV Reutlingen and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau. The most recent triumph was almost exactly six years ago to the day: On January 5, 2019, the TTF defeated SV Werder Bremen in the final. That final is also possible this year: While Ochsenhausen will face Bad Homburg in the semi-finals, Saarbrücken and Bremen will compete against each other at the neighboring table. “It's always a very entertaining event: great atmosphere, great matches and every team is fighting for the title. That's the beauty of the Final Four,” says Hugo Calderano, who, like Simon Gauzy, was already part of TTF's title win in 2019.

January 4 will be a historic day for TTC OE Bad Homburg: The club from Hesse will be competing in the Liebherr Cup Final Four for the first time. In the previous five seasons, the TTC had reached the round of 16 once (2023) and the quarter-finals twice (2021, 2020) - now they want to enjoy the atmosphere on the one hand and, of course, impress on a sporting level on the other. The Liebherr Cup Final Four is “a great tournament with an extraordinary atmosphere,” says TTC leading player Kristian Karlsson, who won the cup with Borussia Düsseldorf in 2017, 2018 and 2021. “Ochsenhausen is the favorite, of course. But when it comes to the doubles, we have a really good chance. That's why we're looking for the right tactics to reach the doubles in the end.”

Jorgic: “Our clear goal is to win the cup”

Should Karlsson and Bad Homburg actually make it to the final, the Swede could meet his brother-in-law there: Patrick Franziska married Kristian Karlsson's sister, Frida, in 2021; he will go on the hunt for the title with 1. FC Saarbrücken TT on 4 January.The Saarlanders have won the Champions League in each of the past two seasons and have triumphed twice in the cup so far (2012, 2022).They would now like to add more trophies to their collection of titles this season.

“We will once again try to create another great memory,” says Darko Jorgic, ranked 13th in the world, ahead of the Liebherr Cup Final Four. However, he does not necessarily see the FCS in pole position for the title: “I wouldn't say that we are the favorites in the cup,” adds Jorgic, referring in particular to the “strong team with three strong players” from Ochsenhausen.Nevertheless: “Our clear goal is to win the cup this year,” the 26-year-old makes clear.

Bremen with confidence against Saarbrücken

Saarbrücken must first overcome the SV Werder Bremen hurdle - and should be forewarned by their clash in the German Table Tennis League.The Hanseatic side beat FCS 3:2 at the beginning of September, and the two teams are neighbors in the TTBL table with 12:10 points each.
“Bremen is always a difficult and tough opponent for us,” admits Jorgic. “We haven't played that well so far, but we want to come out of this phase stronger and take revenge for that 2:3.”

The Bremen team has already shone not only in the TTBL, but also in the cup. They eliminated TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell and Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3:2 in the quarter-finals to secure their first appearance in the Liebherr Cup Final Four since 2019. Werder have yet to win the title, but have already reached the final three times: Before the aforementioned defeat to Ochsenhausen six years ago, they finished second behind Borussia Düsseldorf in both the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons. “It's a great thing to get the chance to win this trophy,” said Werder leading player Mattias Falck.“We are hoping and expecting a great and enjoyable day where we can play at a high level. We know that we are a strong team when we show our best table tennis. We will try to do that again at this spectacular event.”

The Liebherr Cup Final Four 2025 at a glance

All spectators who want to experience world-class table tennis live should make a note of January 4, 2025 and mark it in red in their calendars.
Only a few tickets are still available for the Liebherr Cup Final Four and these can be purchased in the official ticket store of the German Table Tennis League.

Here is an overview of the schedule for the top-class table tennis day:

·       09.30 am: Admission to the arena

·       11.00 am: Start of the two semi-finals

·       Afterwards (after a short reconstruction phase): Start of the final

·       After the final: Liebherr Cup Final Four award ceremony

Please also note the information on directions and parking for your visit to the Liebherr Cup Final Four 2025. You can find all the information here.

All table tennis fans who cannot be at the ratiopharm arena have the opportunity to follow all matches of the Liebherr Cup Final Four 2025 live and in full length in the stream at TTBL media partner Dyn. ARD's main TV program will report on the event on the day of the event (from 5.05 pm) in a summary lasting several minutes, Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR) will show a 60-minute special on the Liebherr Cup Final Four 2025 in its program (04.01.2025, from 5.30 pm) and SWR will report comprehensively in its news program SWR aktuell from 7.30 pm. The coverage will be supplemented by reports in the news programs of Hessischer Rundfunk and Radio Bremen on Sunday, 05.01.2025. The event can also be seen as a re-live and in various highlight formats on Dyn after the end of the game.

In 2025, well-known companies will once again be sponsoring the Liebherr Cup Final Four, making a clear commitment to table tennis and the event, which traditionally takes place in the ratiopharm arena Ulm/Neu-Ulm. First and foremost in this context is the Liebherr Group, which is now entering its 13th year as title sponsor and namesake of the Cup Final Four, thus continuing the trusting and successful partnership. Well-known companies such as ARAG and Dyn are also involved at the main sponsor level and Donic is very close to the action as the official table and ball supplier. The partner pool is completed by the premium partner Ensinger Mineral-Heilquellen, the partners Lotto Baden-Württemberg, PEG Ulm, BCM Best Customer Management, the cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm, the hotel partner Leonardo Hotels, the service partner Riddle, the ticket partner Reservix and the media partners Südwest Presse and Radio7. Many thanks to all partners for their great support!

Overview of the Liebherr Cup Final Four on January 4, 2025

Semi-finals, from 11 a.m.
Semi-finals 1: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC OE Bad Homburg
Semi-finals 2: SV Werder Bremen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 

Final, following
Winner Semi-finals 1 – Winner Semi-finals 2

Tickets for specific seats can be ordered in the TTBL ticket store, by telephone on 0761 888499 99 and at all known advance booking offices.