More crucial points. Away at 1. Hanauer FC, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team delivered a convincing five-goal performance in their fight to avoid relegation. With this victory, the young Lilies have amassed twelve points from their last five matches. With two matchdays remaining, direct relegation is no longer a possibility, and the U21s hold a nine-point cushion above the relegation zone. However, Darmstadt need more points to further distance themselves from the relegation playoff spot.
The opening phase was marked by some technical sloppiness from the young Lilies. U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt also pointed this out to sv98.de: „We should have been more clinical in the final third.“ Despite the issues with fine-tuning, it was clear the young Lilies were determined to win this match. Playing away against the bottom-of-the-table team in the Lotto Hessenliga? No easy task. „But we found the right attitude for this game,“ Schmitt said proudly of his team, who took the lead in the 26th minute from a set piece – Smail Kadrijaj was the scorer. Shortly afterward, Kelvin Kunstmann (32nd minute) made it 2-0 from a tight angle at halftime.
„We wanted to see out the game early in the second half. And thankfully, we managed to do that,“ Schmitt added. In the 54th and 64th minutes, Tim Arnold and then Loan Schnerring put their words into action. Hanau did manage to score a consolation goal (84th minute), but Kadrijaj had the final say, scoring to make it 5-1 shortly before the final whistle (90th minute) to seal the victory.
On the penultimate matchday, the young Lilies will play their final home game at the youth academy. Their opponent this coming Saturday (May 23rd/3pm): Turabdin-Babylon Pohlheim. „We have to perform against Pohlheim like we have in recent weeks and raise our game even further,“ the U21 coach anticipates. Because the goal of staying in the league is still not achieved, and more points are needed. Schmitt: „We have to keep winning!“
Line-Up: Börner – Kunstmann, Karakayar, Maier (Schnerring, 60′), Kadrijaj, Klappich, Ballmert (Jaadar, 70′), Herbst (Steineck, 66′), Görtler, Merx (Mignano, 75′), Arnold (Schlosser, 60′).
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).
