37th matchday in the 3rd league: Karlsruher SC welcomed the guest from Rostock in the Wildparkstadion. A game that should go down in club history. Because on that day KSC was able to secure promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga. A crucial change in the starting line-up: Dennis Kempe moved into the starting line-up for Kai Schwertfeger. The game started anything but according to plan. The guests from Rostock took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute - the big promotion celebration in their own stadium seemed to be over. But then came the 74th minute: After an unsuccessful corner, the second cross landed around eight meters in front of the goal directly on the foot of Dennis Kempe. He nailed the ball unstoppably into the top right corner. The Wildparkstadion exploded - the KSC was back in the 2nd Bundesliga.
That was almost twelve years ago now. Since then, Baden has experienced ups and downs – including the dramatic relegation against Hamburger SV, in which they narrowly failed to gain promotion to the Bundesliga. And the bitter relegation back to the 3rd league in 2017.
But since being promoted again in 2019, the KSC has been firmly part of the 2nd Bundesliga. Karlsruhe got off to a strong start in the current season: after the first nine matchdays, KSC was undefeated and was now second in the table. The Baden team also travel to Darmstadt for the upcoming game (07.03/6.30pm) with a lot of self-confidence. The main reason for this is the two most recent successes against 1. FC Magdeburg and 1. FC Köln. After 24 match days, the KSC is in ninth place – six points behind the direct promotion places.
| Top Scorers |
Top Assists |
| Marvin Wanitzek – 9 Goals | Marvin Wanitzek – 10 Assists |
| Fabian Schleusener – 6 Goals | Fabian Schleusener – 5 Assists |
| Leon Jensen – 4 Goals | Luca Pfeiffer – 3 Assists |
| Andrin Hunziker – 2 Goals | Dzenis Burnic – 2 Assists |
Pep Guardiola once explained that it hardly makes sense to stay at a club for longer than three years. Either you have to replace the coach or replace the entire team. With this statement he alluded to his “biggest mistake”: the fourth year at FC Barcelona. Christian Eichner is now in his fifth season as head coach at KSC – and shows no signs of wanting to leave the club. One of the reasons for this is the constant change within the squad. “That’s one of the factors why I don’t wear out as quickly here as I might elsewhere,” explained Eichner. The Sinsheimer is not afraid of wear and tear anyway. On the contrary: he loves working with a different team every season. “I want to keep reinventing myself. There are small building blocks that may not seem so big to the outside world.”
“Back then, I slid into the head coaching job more or less out of nowhere, if you will,” Christian Eichner once told Sport1. The former professional footballer and mathematician has been working as a coach at Karlsruher SC since 2016. He began his career as an assistant coach for the U17s before working his way up to assistant coach for the professionals. From there, he initially went back to the U17s on an interim basis, this time as head coach, before the now 42-year-old suddenly found himself on the sidelines of the professional team in 2017 and took over the team for a week. Three years later, this scenario was repeated – and again it was Eichner who stepped in. In 2020, the former left-back finally took on permanent responsibility as head coach, which he still holds today.
Hardly anyone can fool Karlsruher SC in front of the goal. KSC has scored 44 goals so far this season. Together with SV Elversberg, the Baden team is in third place in the statistics of teams with the most goals in the 2nd Bundesliga. Only Hamburger SV (51) and 1. FC Magdeburg (52) scored more. Looking at Karlsruher SC’s 15 hits on the post or crossbar, there could have been significantly more goals…
“At the moment I see the centre of my life here,” said Marvin Wanitzek in an interview with SWR. The 31-year-old feels right at home in Karlsruhe – saying goodbye is currently not an option for him. Above all, the proximity to his family and his best friend, who lives right next door, make life in the city particularly worth living for the Bruchsaler. This is far beyond his big dream of the Bundesliga. Would Wanitzek have what it takes to play permanently in the first division? For sure. But the offensive player prefers to remain loyal to the KSC so far.
Wanitzek feels at home in Karlsruhe not only in the city, but also on the pitch. With an impressive 22 scorer points in 27 competitive games, he leads his team with impressive performances. He not only impresses in terms of sport, but also with his role as captain. After previously being co-captain alongside Jérôme Gondorf, he was officially named the new captain shortly before the start of the season. “I was extremely pleased that the captain’s armband was made official again a week before the start of the league – being able to lead the team of my hometown club onto the field means a lot to me,” said Wanitzek. These words alone show how much he identifies with the KSC.
He has been wearing the KSC jersey since 2017 – and during this time Wanitzek has also immortalised himself in history: with 66 goals, the number ten is now fifth on the club’s all-time top scorers list. He enjoys the highest reputation within the team. “He is an absolute guiding light for the team – on and off the pitch. “An extremely important player and a real anchor,” said teammate Leon Jensen, praising his captain.
SV Darmstadt 98 informed all season ticket holders about the season ticket procedure for the 2026/27 season on Wednesday (May 6th) and would also like to share this letter on the club's own website.
Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time.
Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings.
Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse.
A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half.
The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute.
Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler.
Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide".
Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport.
Our head coach spoke at the press conference before the away game against Karlsruher SC (May 3rd/1:30pm) about the mental freshness of his team, the course of action for the remaining games and his coaching colleague, whose commitment to KSC will end after six years this season.
Left hook, 'One hundred and eightyyyyyyy', and hand over the baton. Doesn't sound like football – and that's true. KSC is often associated with professional football, but with the sheer number of titles the club has won, it's worth looking beyond the pitch. Titles from Baden-Württemberg to Rome.