With a 4-2 win against Arminia Bielefeld, VfB Stuttgart secured the DFB-Pokal title for the 2024/25 season. But the new cup season is already looming. SV Darmstadt 98 will begin the first round of this competition in mid-August. SV Darmstadt 98's opponent in the first round of the cup will be decided next Sunday (June 15th, 5:15pm) at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The draw will be broadcast live on free TV on ZDF. The Lilies are listed in the professional pool and will be drawn against a club from the amateur pool. You can read about the teams Darmstadt could face here.
SV Darmstadt 98’s journey to the DFB-Pokal last year took them all the way to the round of 16. After winning 3-1 away at Teutonia Ottensen in the first round, the Lilies followed up with a spectacular 3-2 victory after extra time away at Dynamo Dresden in the second round. The round of 16 ultimately ended for SV 98, when they narrowly conceded the decisive goal in stoppage time away at Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, making it 1-0..
Now the Lilies are looking to get back on the attack in the DFB-Pokal. The first-round draw begins next Sunday (June 15th). ZDF will broadcast the draw live on TV and via stream starting at 5:15pm. Germany’s fastest man will act as the „draw fairy“: Owen Ansah, the first German to break the ten-second barrier (9.99), will conduct the draw. DFB Vice President Peter Frymuth will be in charge of the draw.
As usual, the draw will be made between a professional and an amateur pot. The team from the amateur pot is always drawn first and automatically has home advantage. Since SV Darmstadt 98 is in the professional pot, it has already been determined that the South Hesse team will have an away game against one of the teams from the amateur pot at the start of the cup.
| 1st Round Draw: | 15th June 2025 |
| 1st Round: | 15th – 18th August and 26th/27th August 2025 |
| 2nd Round: | 28th/29th October 2025 |
| Last 16: | 2nd/3rd December 2025 |
| Quarter Final: | 3rd/4th February und 10th/11th February 2026 |
| Semi-Final: | 21st/22nd April 2026 |
| Final in Berlin: | 23rd May 2026 |
Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time.
Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings.
Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse.
A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half.
The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute.
Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler.
Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide".
Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport.
Our head coach spoke at the press conference before the away game against Karlsruher SC (May 3rd/1:30pm) about the mental freshness of his team, the course of action for the remaining games and his coaching colleague, whose commitment to KSC will end after six years this season.
Left hook, 'One hundred and eightyyyyyyy', and hand over the baton. Doesn't sound like football – and that's true. KSC is often associated with professional football, but with the sheer number of titles the club has won, it's worth looking beyond the pitch. Titles from Baden-Württemberg to Rome.
In a rescheduled Lotto Hessenliga match, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team hosted SV Hummetroth at their youth academy on Wednesday evening (April 29th) but unfortunately came away empty-handed. Despite a spirited performance and playing with one man less, the score after 90 minutes was 3-1 in favour of Hummetroth.