The 1968-69 season saw the 18th competition for the FDGB-Pokal, the East German national football cup. The first round was competed with 46 teams: 15 Bezirkspokal winners (indicated by an asterisk), 29 teams from the DDR-Liga and the two teams relegated from the DDR-Oberliga in the previous season. BSG Chemie Premnitz, a DDR-Liga side, were given a bye to the intermediate round. The competition was played in a knock-out format; if scores were level after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time. If the scores were still level after this, a replay was played.