1997 DFB-Ligapokal
 Tournament programme cover | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Teams | 6 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Bayern Munich |
| Runner-up | VfB Stuttgart |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 5 |
| Goals scored | 12 (2.4 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Giovane Élber (2) |
The 1997 DFB-Ligapokal was the inaugural
Cup winners, plus the next four highest placed teams in the previous season's Bundesliga. It was won by Bayern Munich, the 1996–97 Bundesliga champions, who beat 1996–97 DFB-Pokal winners VfB Stuttgart
in the final.
Participating clubs
A total of six teams qualified for the competition. The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.: League position
- CW: Cup winners
| Semi-finals | |
|---|---|
| Bayern Munich (1st) | VfB Stuttgart (CW + 4th) |
| Preliminary round | |
| Bayer Leverkusen (2nd) | VfL Bochum (5th) |
| Borussia Dortmund (3rd) | Karlsruher SC (6th) |
Matches
Preliminary round
| Karlsruher SC | 2 – 2 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
Reich  6'Dundee 81' |
Report | Beinlich 5' Kirsten 21' |
| Penalties | ||
 |
6 – 5 |  N. Kovač Kirsten Heintze Rydlewicz Neuendorf Beinlich Happe Ramelow |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 – 0 | VfL Bochum |
|---|---|---|
Chapuisat ) 62' (pen. |
Report |
Semi-finals
| VfB Stuttgart | 3 – 0 | Karlsruher SC |
|---|---|---|
| 64' |
Report |
| Bayern Munich | 2 – 0 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Giovane Élber 29' Babbel 75' |
Report |
Final
| Bayern Munich | 2–0 | VfB Stuttgart |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Jürgen Jansen (Essen
)