On Friday (September 18th), Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against VfL Wolfsburg. Before the match, it's worth taking a look at some facts and figures: Noah Weißhaupt is currently one of the most fouled players in the 2. Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg boasts the most valuable squad in the league's history, and there have also been some memorable encounters between the two clubs in the past.
Darmstadt 98 face VfL Wolfsburg, the most expensive squad the 2. Bundesliga has ever seen. At the start of the season (August 7th), the Lower Saxony club’s squad was valued at approximately €200 million. This is by far the highest value ever recorded in the league. For comparison, the six squads behind Wolfsburg – St. Pauli, Nürnberg, Heidenheim, Hannover, and Kaiserslautern – combined had a lower market value than Wolfsburg alone. The most valuable individual player in the 2. Bundesliga also wears the VfL Wolfsburg jersey: Saël Kumbedi is currently valued at €12 million.
Noah Weißhaupt has already been fouled 14 times this second-division season. No other player has been fouled more often. The Darmstadt forward leads this statistic along with Mehmet Can Aydın. Weißhaupt also demonstrated his one-on-one threat against Kaiserslautern, winning a penalty in the 29th minute.
Darmstadt are still waiting for their first away win against VfL Wolfsburg. Their only point so far in Lower Saxony came on March 19, 2016, in a 1-1 draw. Darmstadt’s only goal in Wolfsburg also came that afternoon: Sandro Wagner put SV 98 ahead in the 82nd minute, before André Schürrle equalised in stoppage time. The remarkable nature of this performance is underscored by what followed: just 18 days later, VfL Wolfsburg defeated Real Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the same stadium. Real Madrid, however, turned the tie around in the second leg and went on to win the Champions League a few weeks later.
For Florian Kohfeldt, the match in Wolfsburg is a special homecoming. At the end of October 2021, the current Darmstadt coach took over VfL Wolfsburg as the successor to Mark van Bommel. With the Wolves, he secured their Bundesliga survival and finished the season in twelfth place; after the season ended, their paths diverged again. Kohfeldt also got a taste of Champions League football with VfL: In the group stage, his team faced Salzburg, Sevilla, and Lille, celebrating, among other victories, a 2-1 home win against Salzburg. Now, Kohfeldt will face the Wolves for the first time since his departure in May 2022, this time as the opposing coach.
Anyone who falls behind against VfL Wolfsburg has had little to laugh about in the club’s recent history in the second division: The Wolves‘ last defeat after taking the lead in the second tier dates back to April 15, 1995. On that occasion, VfL initially went ahead against SV Meppen, but ultimately lost the match 3-1. Since then, 82 second-division matches have passed without Wolfsburg losing after taking the lead. This didn’t happen once in the 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons, and the Lower Saxony club subsequently achieved promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in 1997.
In the first round of the 2014/15 DFB Cup, Darmstadt 98 pushed VfL Wolfsburg to their limits. For 120 minutes, the Darmstadt side held the Bundesliga team to a clean sheet before Wolfsburg finally prevailed 5-4 in a penalty shootout. Wolfsburg’s penalty takers included Kevin De Bruyne, Ricardo Rodríguez, Bas Dost, Ivica Olić, and Vieirinha.
How close Darmstadt came to causing an upset was evident later in the competition: Wolfsburg went on to win the DFB Cup at the end of the season. The match at the Böllenfalltor stadium remained the only game on their path to the title in which Wolfsburg failed to score within 120 minutes.
|
Games |
Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
|
Home |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11:8 |
|
Away |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1:8 |
|
Overall |
9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 12:16 |
The next floodlit match is coming up: On Friday evening, we'll be playing away at VfL Wolfsburg (September 18th, 6:30pm) for Matchday 6 of the 2. Bundesliga. As usual, you can find all the important information about traveling to the stadium and visiting the ground in the fan information.
Three home games, three chances to get tickets: On Wednesday, September 16th, at 12 noon, the members' presale for Darmstadt 98's October home games begins. The presale covers the matches against Energie Cottbus (October 10th), FC St. Pauli (October 23rd), and 1. FC Magdeburg (October 31st). Each member can purchase up to four tickets per game.
Construction of the new functional building at the Merck youth performance center of SV Darmstadt 98 is complete. With the two-story modular building, the club is improving the infrastructure for its youth players, coaches, and staff at Kastanienallee.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team lost their home game against FC Turabdin-Babylon 3-2 despite leading 1-0 at the break. After a comfortable 2-0 lead, the Lilies were reduced to ten men following a red card and ultimately let the game slip away.
Good news for everyone who wants to participate in the Lilien Team Marathon – presented by CRAFT DA: The registration deadline has been extended to September 20, 2026. The second edition of the running event, organised by SV Darmstadt 98, will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2026. At the Lilien Team Marathon, running enthusiasts and beginners alike can complete a marathon or half-marathon distance together with friends, colleagues, or family.
This season, Darmstadt 98 fans will once again be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by their team. In addition to the joy and excitement of celebrating each goal, supporters will also receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pilsner for every goal scored at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor.
SV 98 finally secured their long-awaited victory on Friday evening. While the team from southern Hesse didn't exactly put on a dazzling display of football against Arminia Bielefeld, their pragmatic approach and strong mentality earned them three points. It was a success whose foundation had been laid in the preceding days.
The long-awaited three points are finally here! In a hard-fought but also disjointed match on Friday evening, Darmstadt showed character and didn't let setbacks get them down, even if not everything went perfectly during the 90 minutes. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
A crucial home win for Darmstadt! SV Darmstadt 98 defeated Arminia Bielefeld 2-1 (1-0). Lee (3') gave the home side an early lead, and after the visitors from East Westphalia equalised, Smit (86') sealed the victory with a penalty.
Darmstadt host Arminia Bielefeld. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the defeat in Kaiserslautern. Carlo Sickinger starts in place of Hiroki Akiyama, who is out with a thigh injury. Returning player Marco Richter replaces Lars Kehl in the starting eleven, and Hojae Lee starts instead of Lance Duijvestijn.
Floodlight Friday! On Friday evening (Sept. 11, 6:30pm), SV 98 takes on Arminia Bielefeld in Matchday 5 action. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match? And where can you follow the game? As always, we’ve gathered all the key information about the match against Bielefeld for you in "Matchday Guide."
For the upcoming home match on Friday (September 11, 2026, at 6:30pm), SV 98 asks you to take note of the following information. Starting this season, we are introducing dedicated entrances for women at the west side of the stadium. Additionally, there is a "Bölle Bande" family entrance offering easier access at Karl-Hess-Platz.