Two wins from their first two matches: The Lilies haven't had such a successful start to the 2. Bundesliga in decades. With a third consecutive win, they could make a historic start to the season. The Darmstadt team has never started a 2. Bundesliga season with three wins in their history. To achieve this, the Lilies plan to give it their all on the pitch on Sunday (August 24th, 1:30pm) against Hertha BSC. You can read about other interesting statistics for Matchday 3 in our Top Facts.
After a commanding 4-1 opening victory against VfL Bochum and a 1-0 away win against 1. FC Nürnberg, the Lilies collected a whopping six points out of six in the second division. But that’s not the only remarkable thing. The two victories enabled the Lilies to achieve something special: For the first time since the 1987/88 season, the South Hesse team has started a second division season with two wins from two matches. This weekend’s match against Hertha could turn a special start into a historic one: The Lilies have never achieved three wins at the start of a second division season.
If Hertha had had a motto over the past seven months, it would have been: „If Reese doesn’t score, Hertha doesn’t win.“ The last time the Old Lady celebrated a victory without a goal from the striker was in January of this year – in a 2-1 away win in Paderborn, when Derry Scherhant and Michael Cuisance scored. Since then, Fabian Reese has always scored when Hertha Berlin emerged victorious. In the first two matches of this season, Reese has not been involved in a goal, meaning the Blue-Whites have yet to register three points. But in the duel against the Lilies, Reese will likely be highly motivated to change that.
The Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor is still an impregnable fortress for Hertha in the 2nd Bundesliga: The capital club has played in Darmstadt seven times in the German lower house, losing five times and sharing the points twice. Darmstadt should be warned, however, because the Berliners certainly know how to win at Böllenfalltor: Examples like the 2-0 cup defeat at home to Hertha in 2018 and the 2-0 home defeat in the Bundesliga in 2017 should serve as a warning to the South Hesse club that points aren’t necessarily a given on Sunday (August 24th).
Of course, season statistics after the second matchday are only partially meaningful due to the very limited sample size, but they can still reveal certain trends… And Darmstadt’s attacking power was a standout in the first two matchdays: With five goals after two games, only Arminia Bielefeld (seven) scored more. The South Hesse side are particularly fast-paced after winning the ball: six counter-attack shots and three counter-attack goals are both league-best figures this season.
The blue and white club colours of Hertha BSC are nothing new to Leitl—after all, he already wore them during his playing career, albeit with the blue and white Lilies. From 2004 to 2007, the former midfielder played for SV Darmstadt 98 in the Regionalliga Süd. In a total of 93 appearances for the 98ers, he scored 14 goals and provided three assists.
Jean-Paul Boëtius, a former Hertha player, plays for the Lilies. The Dutchman began his career at Feyenoord Rotterdam before moving to the Bundesliga via loans to Genk and Basel – first to Mainz 05, and later to Hertha BSC in the 2022/23 season. He made 21 Bundesliga appearances for the capital club. His resume includes 143 Bundesliga appearances, scoring twelve goals and providing 20 assists. Since joining SV 98, Boëtius has already made 13 second-division appearances, providing two assists.
Fabian Holland also once wore a Hertha jersey. The Berlin native progressed through all of the „Old Lady’s“ youth teams and made 25 competitive appearances for the first team before moving to Darmstadt.
Another former Hertha player in the current SV 98 squad is Lilies newcomer Marco Richter. The 27-year-old played for the capital club between 2021 and 2023. In 66 appearances – almost 60 of which were in the Bundesliga – he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
| Home | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15:16 |
| Away | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8:17 |
| Total | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 23:33 |
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.