The DFB Cup holds plenty of excitement for Freiburg and Darmstadt: While SC Freiburg is on a long scoring streak but has a shaky record against lower-league opponents, Darmstadt dreams of only the second quarter-final appearance in the club's history. Here you'll find the top facts about the cup match on Wednesday (December 3rd/6pm) between SV Darmstadt 98 and SC Freiburg.
Darmstadt is dreaming of a historic success. The team from southern Hesse has only reached the DFB Cup quarterfinals once before – almost 40 years ago. In the 1986/87 season, they were guests of Fortuna Köln in the round of 16. After 90 minutes, neither side had scored, so extra time was required! In extra time, Bruno Labbadia’s brace sent the Lilies into the quarterfinals. There, they were eliminated 1-0 by Hamburger SV.
SC Freiburg has displayed impressive offensive consistency in the DFB Cup for years: the club has scored in each of its last 18 matches – a current club record. Only Bayer 04 Leverkusen (39) and 1. FC Köln (19) currently have longer streaks. During this successful period, the Breisgau side reached the cup final for the first time in their history in 2022, only to lose to RB Leipzig on penalties. A year later, they even made it to the semi-finals again. Freiburg’s last cup match without scoring was almost five years ago: in December 2020, they were eliminated in the second round with a 2-0 defeat to VfB Stuttgart.
Matej Maglica is proving his quality from corner kicks in this cup campaign. The 27-year-old central defender for SV Darmstadt 98 scored from a corner in both the first and second rounds – his first two goals ever in the DFB Cup. With his two goals, Maglica is tied with Fraser Hornby at the top of the club’s cup scoring charts.
SC Freiburg is making its 26th appearance in the DFB Cup as a Bundesliga team this season – but its record against lower-league opponents remains a weakness. Of its 25 previous appearances, the club has been eliminated 13 times by lower-division teams. In those 13 matches, Freiburg suffered eight defeats against second-division sides. The most recent of these defeats dates back two years: Freiburg was knocked out in the second round, losing 1-3 at home to SC Paderborn.
SV Darmstadt 98 delivered a convincing performance in the second round of the DFB Cup. The Lilies cruised to a 4-0 victory against Schalke 04 – no other team in this round had won by a larger margin. This means Darmstadt, as in the previous season, have once again reached the round of 16. However, in the 2024/25 season, this run ended in defeat: During their away match in Bremen, the Lilies lost 1-0 to a late goal from Anthony Jung – now with SC Freiburg. The decisive goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
|
Games |
Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
|
Home |
17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 23:19 |
|
Away |
15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 18:24 |
|
Overall |
32 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 41:43 |
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.
SV Darmstadt 98 successfully completed their second pre-season friendly, defeating Verbandsliga side VfR Fehlheim 8-0 (4-0).
