The 1978–79 season saw the 28th competition for the FDGB-Pokal, the East German national football cup.
Starting from the third round, the fixtures were played over two legs, culminating in a one-legged final.
The competition began with three qualifying matches between three second-tier DDR-Liga clubs and three Bezirkspokal finalists.
[citation needed] The first round pitted 48 DDR-Liga sides and 24 Bezirkspokal finalists against each other.
The two remaining Bezirkspokal finalists Stahl Thale and Dynamo Fürstenwalde were eliminated in this round, along with no fewer than five Oberliga sides: Wismut Aue, Chemie Böhlen, Chemie Halle, BSG Stahl Riesa and BSG Sachsenring Zwickau.