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.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.
Tickets for the league match in Nürnberg (Nov. 7th) and the cup match in Elversberg (Oct. 27th) are available for purchase now.
For the upcoming home match on Saturday (October 10th, 2026, at 1pm), SV 98 asks you to take note of the following information. Since the start of the season, we have been offering dedicated entrances for women at the west side of the stadium. Additionally, there is a "Bölle Bande" family entrance with easier access at the Karl-Hess-Platz entrance. Please also take note of the information provided by HEAG regarding the autumn break.