The draw has taken place: SV Darmstadt 98 has known its opponent for the round of 16 since Sunday evening (November 2nd). We take a look at the draw. Also, Kai Klefisch is back on the pitch and "simply happy to be back." You can read about these and other topics in our weekly column "Lilies Across the Board."
After his injury layoff, Kai Klefisch is finally back on the pitch – and with an all-around positive feeling. The SV 98 midfielder has now played two matches. And his conclusion is clear: „My body feels great, really excellent.“ Klefisch played the full 90 minutes in the match against Bielefeld, and before that, he was on the field for 76 minutes in the cup match against Schalke. The league game against Schalke, however, came too soon. „But I think we did exactly the right thing. It was good to wait for another game. Training with the team is simply a different intensity, but I didn’t lose much during the time I was out,“ Klefisch explained contentedly.
During his time off, which saw him miss three matches, the 25-year-old worked diligently in the weight room and completed individual training sessions on the pitch. „That allowed me to pick up right where I left off,“ he says. Nevertheless, he found it difficult to watch his team’s games from the sidelines: „It’s truly one of the worst things there is. Luckily, it wasn’t an injury that sidelined me for months, but watching every game from the sidelines is torture. You want to help, you have this inner urge to contribute – but you just can’t do anything.“
Now, the relief is immense at finally being part of the action again: „I’m simply happy to be back on the pitch. When you play with the same guys for a long time, you become a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing. The coach likes to talk about so-called ‚core players‘ – and I think I’m definitely part of the team’s backbone.“
On Sunday evening (November 2nd), the draw for the round of 16 of the DFB Cup took place at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. Darmstadt were drawn to play away against Bundesliga club and Europa League participant SC Freiburg. For Darmstadt, this means a big cup night awaits – and at the same time, a real challenge. Freiburg are clear favourites, but the Darmstadt team travels with the conviction and ambition to advance to the next round. „The cup has shown time and again that surprises are always possible,“ emphasised Paul Fernie after the draw. The sporting director of SV 98 continued: „Logically, we are the underdog away against the Europa League participant, but we will still go there and invest everything to advance to the next round.“
The SV Darmstadt 98 eFootball team has been competing in the Virtual Bundesliga for about two weeks now. However, things haven’t quite clicked for the eLilies on the console yet. The team from southern Hesse had to wait until the seventh matchday to secure their first win of the season. In two matches, Darmstadt prevailed against Greuther Fürth with an aggregate score of 10-7. Previously, SV 98 had lost to Heidenheim, Düsseldorf, Elversberg, and St. Pauli. They drew against Eintracht Braunschweig. This leaves the eLilies currently in 28th place in the overall standings, which comprise a total of 30 teams. SV 98 has a bye this week and will resume play on November 13th (6pm) against Bayer Leverkusen.
4-1 victory! On Sunday (November 2nd), the second team hosted TSV Braunshardt at home and displayed impressive form. The team took control of the game early on: playing with high tempo and clear focus, the Lilies created several chances. The home team’s attacking play was rewarded on several occasions – by halftime, they had built a commanding 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Marius Wetter (16th minute) and Massimiliano Viola (33rd minute).
After the restart, the momentum continued: the team showed no signs of letting up and even increased the tempo. The hosts quickly extended their lead with two further goals in the 68th and 74th minutes from Julian Schreiber and Felix Bärenz, respectively. The visitors managed to score a consolation goal in the 86th minute, but the home team comfortably saw out the victory and secured the win.
With this victory, the Lilies move into 12th place in the Kreisliga B. On Sunday (November 9th), the SVD fan team aims to replicate their performance from the last match. Kick-off against SV Erzhausen II is at 12:30pm.
This coming weekend, SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team will play at home against FC Eddersheim. Kick-off is at 2:30pm on Saturday (November 8th). With a focused performance, team spirit, and the typical Darmstadt commitment, they aim to turn things around after seven winless games.
Dear Killian, SV Darmstadt 98 sends you belated best wishes for your 25th birthday! May your new year bring you much success on the pitch and good health. Last Tuesday (November 4th), the French attacking player for the Lilies celebrated his milestone birthday. Happy birthday!
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.