Harry Kane scored a hat trick as Bayern Munich beat defending champions VfB Stuttgart 3-0 to lift the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) for a 21st time on Saturday.
The England captain’s three goals completed a domestic double for the Bundesliga champions, ending a six-year wait for the trophy and taking his season tally to 61 goals in all competitions. It was Bayern’s 14th league-and-cup double — a record no other German club has matched more than once.
“Going into this final, I felt like it was my responsibility,” Kane said afterwards. “To score a hat trick in a final is such a special feeling. These are memories I’ll remember forever.”
Kane opened the scoring in the 55th minute. Michael Olise burst down the right and delivered a low, accurate cross that Kane met with a diving header to give Bayern the lead. He doubled the advantage in the 80th minute, collecting a pass from Luis Díaz, spinning and driving a low shot into the bottom corner. In stoppage time, after Angelo Stiller was penalized for handling the ball, Kane coolly converted the resulting penalty to complete his treble. The striker scored in every round of the cup this season.
The match was not free of controversy. In the second half fans from both clubs staged protests against the German Football Federation (DFB), denouncing high ticket prices and strict rules on supporter behavior. Pyrotechnics, despite being banned, created heavy smoke that briefly halted play twice as fans defied the restrictions.
Supporters also demonstrated against proposed measures including personalized ticketing, facial-recognition surveillance and broader stadium bans based on suspicion rather than proven offences. Bayern fans displayed a giant crossed-out DFB logo with an expletive, while Stuttgart supporters chanted for “freedom for the terraces.”
Stuttgart had the better of the first half and threatened on the break, with Maximilian Mittelstädt and Chris Führich among their key outlets. Jonas Urbig, stepping in after Manuel Neuer was sidelined with a calf problem, made a strong save to deny Mittelstädt, and Alexander Nübel was also called into action with a brilliant stop late in the first half.
Bayern were more clinical after the interval and punished Stuttgart for failing to convert first-half chances. Konrad Laimer even missed a clear opportunity shortly after Kane’s opener, firing a rebound over an empty net.
The victory underlined Bayern’s superiority this season; they had already beaten Stuttgart three times, including the Super Cup and a decisive Bundesliga meeting in April that helped seal the title with four games to spare. Stuttgart, who had won the cup in 2025 by beating Arminia Bielefeld 4–2, could not hold on to the trophy against Bayern’s relentless second-half pressure.
Captain Joshua Kimmich reflected on the turnaround: “The second half was much better. We were much more effective.” Manuel Neuer, who missed the final because of his calf injury, still joined teammates to lift the trophy as Bayern celebrated under a shower of golden confetti.
The cup triumph offers some consolation after Bayern’s Champions League campaign ended in the semifinals against Paris Saint-Germain. For Kane, though, the night will be remembered for a decisive performance that sealed both the cup and the club’s impressive domestic double.