As of yesterday evening (May 28th), the starting field for the upcoming 2024/25 second division season has been complete. The Lilies face exciting opponents and there are some interesting away trips on the agenda for the SV 98 fans. But where is the league's largest stadium? And who actually plays in the 2nd Bundesliga the longest? We answer these and many other questions in this message.
74,475 spectators fit into the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Hertha BSC has played its home games here since 1963 – there was only a one-year break in 1987. The third largest stadium in Germany was built in 1934. After several changes after the Second World War, a roof was installed over at least some parts of the stadium for the 1974 World Cup. The new renovation was also based on the World Cup: Italy were crowned world champions here in 2006. The Olympic Stadium was converted for this purpose between 2000 and 2004, and since then over 74,000 spectators have been able to watch Hertha games. The stadium will be the focus again in the summer of 2024; in addition to the annual DFB Cup final, the new European champions will also be crowned here.
SV Elversberg plays in the smallest stadium in the 2nd Bundesliga. The URSAPHARM Arena on the Kaiserlinde has space for 10,000 spectators, with 6,300 standing places, there are almost twice as many standing places as there are seats. The stadium was opened in 1983, and since the floodlights were overhauled, evening games have been played again since 2013. This was particularly important for the SVE with regard to licenses for the 3rd and 2nd leagues. The last game of the Lilien on the Kaiserlinde was also an evening game – on Friday, December 20th, 2013, the team of the then coach Dirk Schuster won 3-0 in Saarland.
Hertha’s home ground is not only the largest in the 2nd Bundesliga, but also the furthest away for the SVD team and fans. At 572 kilometers, the Lilies‘ visit to the Olympic Stadium will be the longest away game of the season. Our last trip to Hertha in particular is certainly still in the minds of some 98er fans; on the 33rd matchday of the 2015/16 season, SVD achieved a 2-1 away win and thus secured their place in the Bundesliga.
Next season we will be going back to Betzenberg to face 1. FC Kaiserslautern. At 104 kilometers, this game will be the shortest away trip of the season – the Lauterers‘ big rival, the KSC, is three kilometers more from Böllenfalltor. The first sports field was on the Betzenberg as early as 1920, and in the 1930s the stadium had a capacity of 18,000 spectators. Today’s Fritz Walter Stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 World Cup, and the women’s European Championship final in 1995 was also played here. The Lilies last visited the Betze in September 2022, after a furious game there was a 3-3 draw thanks to Aaron Seydel’s equaliser in the first minute of added time.
SC Preußen Münster is back in the 2nd Bundesliga! After their 2-0 home win against SpVgg Unterhaching on matchday 38 of the 3rd league, Münster is back in the second division. The last time the Münster team could call themselves that was in 1991, after which they only played third or even fourth division. Coach Sascha Hildmann’s team has achieved something special: after promotion from the regional league to the 3rd league, they have now made a direct breakthrough. A walkthrough? This was achieved not only by Preußen Münster but also by fellow promoted team SSV Ulm. After 22 years of abstinence from professional football, Ulm was promoted last summer from the regional league to the 3rd league and now to the German lower house of football. The “Spatzen” last played there in the 2000/01 season. The third newcomer this year comes from Regensburg. After just one year in the third division, SSV Jahn was promoted straight back up via a 4-3 aggregate win over Wehen Wiesbaden.
With the rise of Holstein Kiel and FC St. Pauli, there is a new dinosaur in the second Bundesliga: Hamburger SV. The Rothosen have been playing in the second division since the 2018/19 season and are now entering their seventh season. No other club is currently active in the league for longer. Particularly bitter: HSV never finished worse than fourth place in the league and always narrowly missed out on promotion. Hamburg failed twice in relegation, and there were four fourth places in the table.
SpVgg Greuther Fürth will be entering their 35th season in the 2nd Bundesliga. This puts the Franconians at the top. No other team has played more seasons in 2. Bundesliga. Hannover 96 is in second place among the reigning second division teams, and the Lower Saxony team is entering their 29th second division season. From 1997 to 2012, Fürth played continuously in the second division, then went to the Bundesliga for a year, followed by eight seasons in the second division.
The Elversberg team finished their debut season 2023/24 in a strong eleventh place in the table, and in some cases the SVE even had a sniff of the first third of the table. After the Saarlanders were promoted from the regional league to the 3rd league in 2022, Elversberg was even promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga for the first time last summer. And the midfield position in their first season showed that it shouldn’t just be a stay for one season.
Attention Lilien fans: During SV Darmstadt 98’s training camp in Bad Wörishofen (Allgäu region)—taking place from July 19th to July 26th, 2026—there will once again be an opportunity to meet the team, chat with the players, and, of course, get autographs and photos. The fan meet-up is scheduled for Saturday, July 25th, following the friendly match against SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. Kick-off for the match is at 12pm.
SV 98 remains active in the transfer market. The "Lilies" have signed Christopher Lannert from Arminia Bielefeld.
Friendly matches, fundraising campaigns, and plenty of photos—that’s what the week looked like for SV 98 and the club’s community. Between their 5–1 victory over FC Homburg and the upcoming friendly in Walldorf this Friday (July 17), the „Lilies“ showed their best side for the cameras. In addition, the SV 98 legends team will face an Odenwald select squad on Sunday (July 19th). You can also win great prizes in competitions taking place in Erbach and at the pop-up store in downtown Darmstadt. Lilies Across the Board brings you all the latest news from life at SV 98.
The Bundesliga finalised the match schedules for matchdays three through six on Wednesday (July 15th): Darmstadt's home game against Hannover 96 on matchday three will take place on Sunday. This will be followed by their away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday at 1pm. The home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday evening and the away game in Wolfsburg, also on Friday evening, have also been confirmed.
The Lilies can welcome another new arrival at the Böllenfalltor: Florian Kleinhansl will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern on June 30th.
Third test, third clear victory. SV 98 won the match against FC 08 Homburg 5-1 (3-0).
SV Darmstadt 98 and the fusion energy company Focused Energy are entering into an official partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to more closely link top-level football and high technology from the Darmstadt region and to jointly generate momentum for innovation and future societal issues.
Killian Corredor will be playing in his home country again in the future. SV 98 has reached an agreement with FC Nantes on the transfer of the Frenchman.
On Tuesday (July 14, 6pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Regionalliga side FC Homburg and asks fans to take note of the following information.
A home game against KSV! SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Holstein Kiel for the opening matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season this Saturday (August 8 at 1pm). Here’s how you can be there: the member pre-sale for the new season's first home game begins this coming Wednesday (July 15) at 12pm —available online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion, as usual. You can find all further details in this announcement.
For every home goal scored by the "Lilies," SV Darmstadt 98 fans were doubly rewarded during the recent 2025/26 second-division season. Beyond the joy and excitement, supporters received 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every goal Darmstadt scored at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
In recent days, various media outlets have published reports and graphics regarding the distribution of TV revenue for the 2026/27 season. Some of these reports included not only specific figures but also a comparison to the previous season. This comparison indicates a supposed revenue increase of €1.4 million for SV 98 compared to the 2025/26 season.