Off to the north! But this time, SV Darmstadt 98's DFB Cup kickoff won't be in Hamburg against Teutonia Ottensen like last year. No, the Lilies will face VfB Lübeck in the first round. Kick-off is next Saturday (August 16th) at 6:00pm at the Lohmühle Stadium. There's still time to take a closer look at SV 98's cup opponent. Who is the head coach? How many times has VFB Lübeck actually made it to the DFB Cup? And how has VfB Lübeck started the current season?
VfB Lübeck has been playing in the Regionalliga Nord for two years now. Three matchdays have been completed in the current season, but the Lohmühle team doesn’t seem to have fully settled into the league routine yet. After a successful start with a 2-0 home win against Bremer SV, a 3-1 defeat at SV Meppen followed. On the third matchday, they suffered a decisive 4-0 home defeat against VfB Oldenburg. This means Lübeck has three points so far.
Antonio Verinac is the name of the centre forward for VfB Lübeck. If anyone scores for the team from Schleswig-Holstein, it’s probably him. The 20-year-old has already found the net twice in his three Regionalliga matches so far. The striker, who is over 1.90 meters tall, played the full 90 minutes in all three games.
Verinac has been under contract with VfB Lübeck since this summer and is expected to continue his goal-scoring streak for the northern German club. However, the far north is no unfamiliar territory for the German-Croatian. Trained at FC St. Pauli, Werder Bremen, and VfB Lübeck, Verinac began his career in men’s football at Lok Leipzig. After spells at SSV Jeddeloh II and the U21 team of 1. FC Köln, he enjoyed a remarkable season with ETSV Hamburg in the Hamburg Oberliga, scoring 25 goals in 29 matches. This talent didn’t go unnoticed for long. This summer, he finally returned to Lohmühle, where he intends to continue his scoring streak.
Name: Guerino Capretti
Head coach of VfB Lübeck
Side note: In April of this year, Capretti and his assistant coach Pierre Becken extended their contracts with VfB Lübeck for another two years, until at least the summer of 2027. The head coach himself said: „I’m looking forward to continuing our collaboration. The first step has been taken, and I’ve realised what this club is capable of. That’s one of the reasons why I’m extremely confident about continuing my career at VfB Lübeck.“
VfB Lübeck looks back on a long football tradition and numerous regional successes. The club has played a total of 39 DFB-Pokal matches to date. The first match took place in the 1954/55 season, when they achieved a 2-1 away victory against Spandauer SV in front of 20,000 spectators.
VfB has won the Schleswig-Holstein State Cup seven times – in 2025, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2016, 2015, and 2012. The most recent victory dates back to May 24, 2025, when Lübeck beat Kaltenkirchen 2-1 in the final, thus securing their place in the DFB-Pokal again.
The northern German club’s most successful DFB-Pokal season, however, dates back some time: In the 2003/04 season – then still a second-division side – VfB marched all the way to the semifinals. There, the dream of reaching the final in Berlin ended in extra time with a 3-2 defeat against Werder Bremen, the eventual cup winners.
Paul Will will no longer play for SV 98. The midfielder is moving to SpVgg Greuther Fürth, the club where the 27-year-old already played on loan during the second half of the previous season. Both clubs have agreed on a permanent transfer.
Throughout its eventful history, SV Darmstadt 98 has gone through many different eras. Yet, the Lily has been a constant companion throughout. It is the symbol that has united the club for generations. The home jersey for the 2026/27 season is therefore a tribute to the Lily—a mark of tradition, yet also an emblem of the current era.
A special honour for Anne Baumann. During the official opening of the Heinerfest on Thursday (July 2nd), the Darmstadt native was honored as a "committed Heinerin."
Southern Hesse’s largest choir! On December 22, 2026, the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor will once again be filled with Christmas spirit as the great Darmstadt Christmas Sing-Along—presented by Merck—takes place for the third time. Advance ticket sales begin on Friday (July 3 at 12:00pm), both online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion. We have summarised all further details for you in this announcement.
The 76th Darmstadt Heinerfest is just around the corner, and naturally, the Lilies will be part of the action—we’ll be covering it. Meanwhile, on Saturday (July 4th), SV Darmstadt 98 will play their first friendly of this summer’s pre-season against SG Arheilgen, featuring debuts for new signings and the unveiling of the new kit. In "Lilies Across the Board," we bring you all the latest news and updates from within the club.
The Bundesliga e.V. released the fixture list for the upcoming 2026/27 2. Bundesliga season on Thursday midday (July 2nd). The Lilies will kick off the new season with a home match against Holstein Kiel at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor (August 8th or 9th). SV Darmstadt 98’s first away trip follows a week later on Matchday 2, taking them to Dynamo Dresden.
Creativity and a goal-scoring threat for SV 98's attacking midfield: The Lilies have signed Lance Duijvestijn. The 27-year-old Dutchman is moving from Sparta Rotterdam to southern Hesse.
On Sunday afternoon (June 28th), head coach Florian Kohfeldt gathered his squad for the first training session of the pre-season in 35-degree heat. The opening session is always a special occasion, but this year it had a unique twist: the "Lilies" did not train in their usual surroundings at the Böllenfalltor, but rather at the SV Winterkasten grounds in the Odenwald region—watched by more than 400 spectators who attended the roughly 90-minute session.
There continues to be movement in the Lilien's attack. SV 98 has signed Ibrahim El Kadiri from the Dutch club De Graafschap Doetinchem.
SV 98 can announce another new signing ahead of the start of training on Sunday (June 28). Lars Kehl is joining the "Lilies" from VfL Osnabrück on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract.
It was an early start on Thursday morning (June 25th) as SV Darmstadt 98 kicked off their 2026 summer pre-season. The goalkeepers were expected at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor just before 7am, with many other players following shortly thereafter. Yet, despite the early hour, a cheerful Marcel Schuhen jogged from the car park to the team building, flashing a broad grin as he held up an "eight" for the camera. "Today marks the eighth time in a row that I’m starting summer pre-season with the Lilies," smiled the SV 98 captain; under contract at the "Bölle" since 2019, he is the longest-serving player in the current squad.
