Who will SV Darmstadt 98 face in the first round of the DFB Cup? This question will be answered this coming Saturday (June 6th). The draw for the first round will be broadcast live on ARD's Sportschau. We'll be taking a look and providing you with all the information. We'll also be celebrating with the fan team's survival in the Kreisklasse B (eighth tier) and taking a look across the border to Texas in the USA. All this and more for you in "Lilies Across the Board" on Wednesday.
It’s that time again! The draw for the first round of the DFB Cup will take place this coming Saturday (June 6th). Who will Darmstadt 98 be drawn against? Find out live on ARD’s Sportschau starting at 6pm. Deniz Aytekin, who ended his refereeing career at the end of last season, will conduct the draw, selecting the pairings from 32 teams in the professional pot and 32 teams in the amateur pot. You can watch the draw live on ARD or via livestream. The first round will then be played between August 21st and 24th.
Who will SV Darmstadt 98 face? Which teams have qualified? The Lilies are in the pot of 32 professional teams, whose balls are always drawn second. All teams from the professional pot must play away, while the first-drawn teams from the amateur pot always have home advantage. These are the 32 qualified clubs from the amateur pot and therefore potential opponents for the Lilies:
Eintracht Braunschweig, Greuther Fürth, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Preußen Münster, VfL Osnabrück, FC Energie Cottbus, Rot-Weiss Essen, MSV Duisburg, Waldhof Mannheim, Würzburger Kickers, 1860 München, VSG Altglienicke, VfB Krieschow, SV Hemelingen, Hamburg Eimsbütteler Ballspiel Club, SV Wehen Wiesbaden, Hansa Rostock, Viktoria Köln, SC St. Tönis, Lüneburger SK Hansa, SSV Jeddeloh 2, Eintracht Trier, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Erzgebirge Aue, Hallescher FC, 1. FC Phönix Lübeck, Bahlinger SC, TSV Schott Mainz, Carl Zeiss Jena, SC Verl, SG Sonnenhof Großaspach, SV Westfalia Rhynern
Losing? Forbidden! That was the motto of the SV Darmstadt 98 fan team before the final matchday in the Kreisklasse B (District League B). The „second team“ needed at least a point in their home game against SV Erzhausen II to secure their place in the league. And they succeeded – the Lilies even managed a 3-0 victory last Sunday (May 31st). The Lilies‘ fan team won 2-1 and will remain in the B-League for another year. With 28 points, Darmstadt finished the 2025/26 season in 14th place. Congratulations on staying up, lads! And enjoy the summer break.
These questions will be answered on July 2nd. That’s when the German Football League (DFL) will publish the schedule for the 2026/27 season of the 2. Bundesliga. The 2. Bundesliga kicks off on August 7th – with a Friday evening match (8:30pm). Matchday 34 will be played on May 23rd, 2027. The schedule published on July 2nd will initially only determine which clubs will face each other on each matchday. The exact kick-off times will be determined later in the season.
A goal fest in the USL Championship! San Antonio FC played a real thriller away at Sporting Club Jacksonville, ending in a 4-4 draw last Thursday (May 28th). The SV 98 affiliate team trailed 3-0 at halftime, but after the restart, they levelled the score at 3-3 within nine minutes and even took a 4-3 lead in the 76th minute. However, the hosts from Jacksonville struck again shortly before the final whistle: in the 89th minute, they scored the equaliser to make it 4-4. SAFC remains in first place after twelve games. The Texas team currently has 21 points – with only one loss, five wins, and six draws. Next weekend, San Antonio will be back on the road. On Friday night (June 13th/1:00am German time), they will visit Lexington SC. We wish them the best of luck from Darmstadt!
What fantastic news from our sister city! The San Antonio Spurs have reached the NBA Finals. After six games in the Conference Finals, the Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder were tied 3-3. A decisive Game 7 was needed to determine a winner. Playing away in Oklahoma, the Spurs, led by superstar Victor Wembanyama, prevailed 111-103. They will now face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. The first of a possible seven games will take place on Wednesday night (June 4th, 2:30am CET) at the Frost Bank Centre in San Antonio.
The first dates for SV 98's preparations for the 2026/27 second division season have been set: On June 25th, the professional team will return to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor to undergo various medical tests and performance diagnostics. The first team training session will take place on June 27th in the Odenwald region.
Fraser Hornby's time at Darmstadt 98 comes to an end after three years. The Scottish attacking midfielder is moving to VfL Wolfsburg. Both clubs have agreed to keep the transfer fee confidential.
An eight-goal thriller to close out the season. The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team took to the pitch one last time this season on Saturday (May 30th) – away against FC Eddersheim. The young Lilies secured a 5-3 victory in Eddersheim, finishing the 2025/26 Hessenliga season in eleventh place. Even more remarkable, however, was the U21's run at the end of the season: the Blue and Whites won their last five matches, scoring an impressive 22 goals in the process.
Barcelona, Spain. A global city right on the Mediterranean. Over 1.7 million people live here. And one of them is Clemens Riedel. The 22-year-old former Darmstadt player moved from SV 98 to Espanyol Barcelona last summer – from youth academy to professional in the Spanish first division. We spoke with Riedel about his first year in Barcelona, the past season, and his still close ties to Darmstadt.
SV 98 can continue to rely on the services of Fabian Nürnberger. The Lilies have extended the expiring contract with the Bulgarian international.
Grayson Dettoni will continue to wear the SV 98 jersey. The Lilies have exercised their option to buy the defender, who was previously on loan from FC Bayern Munich.
The German Football Championship for People with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) kicks off on Sunday – and it's taking place in Darmstadt's Bürgerpark! Last week, the Darmstadt 98ers' home ground offered a different kind of sporting event: a karate demonstration. We also take a look at the opponents for the new season and celebrate two birthdays this week. You'll find all this and much more about Darmstadt 98 in our usual "Lilies Across the Board".
„I’m proud of you,“ were the words of U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt to the team after they secured their place in the Hessenliga. On Saturday (May 23rd), SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team had the chance to stay in the league against Turabdin Babylon Pohlheim – and they seized it impressively! The young Lilies delivered a convincing 5-1 goal fest, but at the same time still needed help from other teams to guarantee their survival. However, because their direct rivals, CSC 03 Kassel, narrowly lost in Stadtallendorf, the U21 team was finally able to celebrate.
For the fourth time, the Haftpflichtkasse insurance company and SV Darmstadt 98 have jointly awarded four clubs with the Volunteer Award. The award ceremony, including the presentation of the checks, took place last Sunday (May 17th) before the home game against SC Paderborn at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The Volunteer Award, established in 2023 by the Haftpflichtkasse and SV Darmstadt 98, aims to strengthen volunteer engagement and promote outstanding projects.
Whether jogging, walking or Nordic walking: everyone is welcome at the Darmstadt running club. Since 1974, the initiative has been getting people moving and offers suitable options for both beginners and advanced runners.
SV 98 have signed Milian Herbst and Manolo Merx to professional contracts. The two young players will therefore be part of the Lilies' professional squad next season.
Between staying in the league, fighting relegation, and the end of the season, the second half of the season was a busy one for SV Darmstadt 98's loaned players. While Paul Will is still battling to avoid relegation with SpVgg Greuther Fürth, Leon Klassen (Grazer AK), Meldin Dreskovic (Nyíregyháza Spartacus FC), Fabio Torsiello (Alemannia Aachen), and Othmane El Idrissi (Viktoria Aschaffenburg) have already finished their seasons. We take a look at the past few weeks for the Lilies' loaned players.