The competitive season of 2026 kicks off! Darmstadt 98 will start their second half of the season on Sunday (January 18th, 1:30pm) away against VfL Bochum. How does Florian Kohfeldt assess their upcoming opponent? What is Darmstadt 98's approach? And how much are they looking forward to the second half of the season? The Darmstadt head coach answered these and other questions at the press conference on Friday afternoon (January 16th) ahead of the match at the Ruhrstadion. We've summarised the most important statements for you.
Personnel update: Killian Corredor is out with a hip problem. It is not yet clear when he will be available again. Bartosz Bialek, who suffered a knock to his ankle in the friendly against Wehen Wiesbaden, will also be unavailable for the match in Bochum. Matthias Bader will be out for the next few weeks due to a knee injury (see separate report). Fabian Nürnberger has returned to full team training. Paul Will is also back in full training.
It’s a remarkable effect Uwe Rösler has achieved in Bochum – in terms of points, but also regarding the team’s style of play. VfL Bochum has a good mix of experience and youth. Their style is clearly focused on counter-attacks and set pieces. Furthermore, you can’t forget their early crosses and their aggressive box coverage, sometimes with up to six players. Bochum radiates incredible energy overall. This is primarily what has led to this turnaround. They’re picking up points and playing the kind of football everyone expected before the season. Moreover, the Ruhrstadion in Bochum is a special stadium – compact, loud, and very demanding. I really like it. The match against VfL Bochum is a very special challenge that we’re really looking forward to.
During our preparations, we had a few issues with illness and injuries. Nevertheless, we’re full of confidence. We know what we’re capable of. Now comes the decisive phase; now it’s about points again. We’re aware of the difficulty of the task in Bochum. We have great respect for VfL Bochum. But we’re confident enough to say: We have a plan for how we want to win in Bochum.
We’re incredibly excited. Competition is why we do all this. Of course, competition brings pressure. Sunday will be the first time you’ll be judged on how good you are. We’re really looking forward to it and are all eager for the game and the second half of the season.
We were very satisfied with our points total in the first half of the season and were also happy with many of our matches. However, we weren’t completely satisfied. At times, we didn’t always execute the basics well. Am I disciplined enough with these simple things and implementing them consistently? We didn’t always manage that. Therefore, for all of us, it’s crucial to do the basics well. Then we have a great chance of winning games. This applies not only to the game itself, but also to our preparation. We must always be diligent and always well-prepared.
As a club, we’ve become so structurally stable that absences don’t derail our work. We’re a far cry from the injury situation of last year. I’d like to remind you that, for example, we travelled to Braunschweig with only eleven fit outfield players. We’ll be traveling to Bochum with a 20-man squad. And when I look at the squad, there’s a lot of quality there. We’ve been given a few obstacles. But the question is how we deal with them. I can feel it in myself, in the staff, whom I must commend highly for the past few weeks, and in the team, that we’ll overcome these obstacles and not use them as an excuse.
An emotional match with many controversial moments unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Ultimately, Darmstadt suffered their first home defeat of the young season. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you.
Tried everything, but to no avail: SV 98 came up short in their home game against Hannover 96. The final score was 1-0 (0-0) to the visitors, whilst the Lilies had to play with ten men after Vukotic was sent off in the 20th minute.
Home game against Hannover! On matchday 3, Darmstadt 98 will host the ambitious Lower Saxons at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the victory in Jena. Hiroki Akiyama replaces the suspended Kai Klefisch, while Nicolas Verkooijen (making his first start) and Yosuke Furukawa start in place of Carlo Sickinger and Manolo Merx.
Weekend, Lilies fever! On Sunday (August 30th/1:30pm), the Lilies have their third matchday on the schedule. Hannover 96, the club from the Lower Saxon capital, will be visiting the Bölle. What do the two head coaches have to say before kickoff? Who will be refereeing the match? And where can you watch the game? As usual, we've compiled all the important information about the match against Hannover in our "Matchday Guide"
One day before their home game against Hannover 96, Darmstadt 98 have announced another new signing. William Mikelbrencis will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 22-year-old Frenchman was under contract with Hamburger SV until June 30th.
In the press conference before the second home game of the still young season, our head coach spoke about, among other things, our team's attacking play and the past week. As usual, you can find the most important statements before the match against Hannover 96 (August 30th/1:30pm) here for you.
A second-division team on the Berlin Mount Olympus: Hannover 96 achieved something unique in 1992. On May 23, the Lower Saxony club defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup final, securing another major title in the club's history 38 years after their German championship win in 1954. Hannover became the first and, to this day, only "true" second-division team to win the DFB Cup, causing one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.
A special place of remembrance for one of the most famous Darmstadt fans. Before SV Darmstadt 98's home game against Hannover 96 on Sunday (August 30th), Jonathan Heimes Square at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor will be officially opened.
Darmstadt's league campaign resumes on Sunday (August 30th). Their opponent? Hannover 96! Hannover 96 have lost more often to Darmstadt than to any other team in the 2. Bundesliga. All the other facts and figures surrounding the match can be found here.
On Sunday (August 30, 2026, 1:30pm), SV 98 asks you to take note of the following information for the upcoming home game. Starting this season, we will be offering women's entrances at the west entrances. Additionally, there is a Bölle Bande family entrance with easier access at the Karl-Hess-Platz entrance.
In Wednesday's media briefing, Nicolas Verkooijen spoke about his Kickbase team, communication within the squad, and the intensive training in Germany. A former Darmstadt 98 player had the opportunity to compete against the best footballers, and we report on the historic stadium tour as part of the Bundesliga's founding anniversary celebrations. All the latest news from SV Darmstadt 98 can be found, as usual, in "Lilies Across the Board"
A journey to the roots of the Lilies: Where churches, residential buildings, or clubhouses stand today, Darmstadt football history was once written. To mark the Day of German Football History, 35 participants set out on a special tour of discovery aboard the professional team's bus—tracing the path from the early pitches of FK Olympia and SC Darmstadt to the club's current home at the Böllenfalltor.