It's that time again! The Lilies start the first round of the DFB Cup. Next Sunday (August 18th/3:30pm) SV 98 will face regional league team Teutonia Ottensen. Before the kick-off sounds in FC St. Pauli's Millerntor Stadium, we'll tell you the most interesting facts and figures: What cup history do both teams have? What connections are there to Hamburg-Ottensen? And who from the 98 squad has the most experience in the national cup competition? Together with you we will take a look at the top facts about the game.
SV Darmstadt 98 looks back on a long cup history that includes more than 30 years of experience in this national competition. The highlight of the DFB Cup was the 1986/87 season, when the Lilies played their best cup season to date: after victories against SCC Berlin (3:0), BW Friedrichstadt (2:1) and Fortuna Köln (2:0 ) the men from the Böllenfalltor reached the quarter-finals for the only time so far, where they were narrowly defeated by Hamburger SV (0-1). SV 98 also qualified for the round of 16 a total of eight times – most recently in the 2022/23 season. There the Lilies were eliminated after victories against FC Ingolstadt and Borussia Mönchengladbach, it was a Hessenderby defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt (4-2).
Until this summer, ex-Lilie Immanuel Höhn was part of the Ottensen side and held two different roles at Teutonia Ottensen within a very short space of time. He was initially the Teutons‘ central defender from September 2023 and was used in 14 games. But on February 27th he ended his active career to take over as head coach for his employer. In this role he led the team in another 16 games. He finished the regional league season with Ottensen in 9th place and, by winning the Hamburg State Cup, ensured that Teutonia qualified for the DFB Cup for the third year in a row. Of course, Höhn is no stranger to Darmstadt: he joined the Lilies in the summer of 2016. During his five years at the Bölle, Höhn played a total of 115 games, scored six goals and assisted two more.
There is also another connection to Hamburg-Ottensen. Sebastian Hertner, who played for Darmstadt 98 from 2018 to 2020, was under contract with Teutonia Ottensen from 2022 until this summer. He made a total of 54 appearances for the Black and Whites and then moved to ETSV Hamburg. During his time with the Lilies, Hertner played 373 minutes in seven competitive games.
It was probably one of the greatest successes in the club’s history of FC Teutonia 05 Ottensen when the team qualified for the first round of the DFB Cup for the first time in the 2022/23 season. There the Hamburg team met the team from Leipzig, the eventual cup winners, and had to admit defeat to the Saxons 0:8. Even at their next attempt a year later against Bayer Leverkusen, the Black and Whites did not manage to book their ticket for the second round. Here too they lost 8-0, also against the eventual cup winners.
Which Lily has the most cup experience? Tobias Kempe is the leader in these statistics. The number eleven of the Lilies was used in a total of 18 DFB Cup games – seven of which he played for SV Darmstadt 98. He is followed by Fabian Holland with just one game less. The injured Darmstadt captain has 17 cup games to his name – 16 for the Lilies, one for Hertha BSC. Klaus Gjasula and Marcel Schuhen, who have twelve and ten appearances in the DFB Cup respectively, are also experienced players in the competition.
Karol Niemczycki is our cup goalkeeper, Torsten Lieberknecht announced after completing summer preparation. The Polish keeper of the Lilies is about to make his competitive debut in the SV Darmstadt 98 jersey. Meanwhile, Niemczycki should have fond memories of the DFB Cup. Last season he made it to the semi-finals while playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf and also had his share of success: the 25-year-old came in the victories in the second round against third division club Unterhaching (6:3 n.V.) and in the round of 16 against 1.FC Magdeburg (2:1).
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.