Nearly 40,000 tickets gone! Fifth-tier HEBC fired up for cup tie with BVB | OneFootball

Just a few days to go. Then HEBC’s footballers will make their appearance on the big stage. On September 1 (8:45 p.m.), the Hamburg Oberliga side will host Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal. Demand for tickets is enormous.

May 23, 2026, has gone down in the history of Hamburg Eimsbütteler Ballspiel Club (HEBC). In front of a sold-out crowd of 4,650 at Stadion Hoheluft, the purple-and-whites beat league rivals Vorwärts-Wacker Billstedt 5–1 in emphatic fashion to win the Hamburger Lotto-Pokal for the first time in the club’s history.

Exactly 43 years after their final defeat to Hummelsbütteler SV, HEBC lifted the cup and in doing so also secured a place in the DFB-Pokal. In addition to the prestige, the club can look forward to a participation fee of €210,000.

Next Tuesday, the fifth-tier club from the Hanseatic city will receive its next reward with the match against BVB. Since only 2,500 spectators can be accommodated at their home ground, Professor-Reinmüller-Platz, the amateurs are moving to Hamburger SV’s Volksparkstadion. In addition, the DFB’s safety requirements could not have been met at their own venue.

“It’s already outstanding”

Advance sales for the knockout clash with the Black and Yellows are going extremely well. According to kicker, the Oberliga club has already sold 39,400 tickets for its cup highlight against favorites Borussia Dortmund. Club chairman Konstantin Zimmermann confirmed the figure to news agency dpa ahead of the eagerly anticipated game against last season’s runners-up.

HEBC will probably not see a sold-out stadium on Tuesday. However, that does nothing to dampen the mood. “In theory, 57,000 spectators could fit in. But the Nordkurve is reserved for HSV members. That’s why we don’t expect it to be completely full,” Zimmermann explained.

The club president still gave an enthusiastic verdict: “But even now, it’s outstanding. The dream has already come true.” Especially since the Hamburg club is financially well in the green: once 17,000 tickets have been sold, the match turns a profit after deducting stadium rent and other fixed costs.

Photo: Getty Images

Although the roles are clearly defined and BVB arrive as overwhelming favorites, the euphoria in Eimsbüttel is huge. The anticipation is also evident in creative initiatives: players and fans have jointly designed a Hamburg city bus that will take the team to the stadium.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.