On September 2 at 2:45 AM (CEST), in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, HEBC (Hamburg Eimsbütteler football club), a fifth-tier amateur team from Hamburg, will face off against Dortmund, the Bundesliga runners-up and Champions League participants.

According to Bild, the match will be held at Hamburg's home ground, Volksparkstadion. HEBC's mode of transportation to the stadium is quite unusual.

Without a team bus, they use public transportation for their DFB-Pokal match.

Initially, HEBC had planned to cycle to Volksparkstadion on match day. Since their headquarters is about 5 km from the stadium, they even considered the ride a warm-up for the match.

However, the team ultimately secured more comfortable transportation.

Because HEBC has no team bus of its own, Hamburger Hochbahn AG (Hamburg's main public transport operator, which operates most of the city's U-Bahn and bus networks) specially provided a regular bus to transport the amateur team to the match.

What's even more interesting is that the bus will be specially customized and decorated with HEBC's team symbols and colors. The team's players even participated directly in the bus modification.

Konstantin Zimmermann, HEBC's club chairman, said: "It's a Hamburg bus that's taking us to one of the most important matches in our club's history, which really fits perfectly with HEBC's character. We're an amateur team, and even when facing an opponent like Dortmund, we stay true to ourselves."

Of course, facing such an uneven matchup, Zimmermann couldn't help but dream of pulling off an upset. He said half-jokingly:

"Maybe on September 2, Hamburg's public transport will take us somewhere that nobody expects."

Nearly 40,000 Tickets Sold

This match is hugely significant for HEBC.

Currently, approximately 39,000 tickets have been sold. This is the first time in HEBC's history that the club has participated in the main rounds of the DFB-Pokal.

Team captain Tjark Behling, 30, is thrilled about this: "Playing in the DFB-Pokal is the best thing a footballer can experience."

In fact, HEBC previously participated in the Tschammer-Pokal, the predecessor to the DFB-Pokal.

In 1935, the team lost 0-7 to fellow Hamburg club Eimsbütteler TV in the first round.

However, this time the opponent is clearly far more formidable – Bundesliga giant Dortmund.

All Championship-Winning Players Will Be Present

Beyond arranging a special bus for the team, HEBC has made another special arrangement for this highly anticipated DFB-Pokal match.

In May this year, HEBC defeated Vorwärts-Wacker Billstedt 5-1 in the Hamburg Cup final, winning the Hamburg Cup for the first time in club history and earning qualification for the DFB-Pokal.

Nineteen players who participated in that final remain on the squad today.

The club has decided that all 19 of these players will be included in the matchday squad to face Dortmund.

Furthermore, to allow all players to personally experience playing in a DFB-Pokal match at Volksparkstadion, those who ultimately don't make the official starting lineup will also be permitted to warm up on the pitch before the match.

According to reports, this arrangement has been communicated to the German Football Association.

For a fifth-tier amateur team in Germany, simply stepping onto the Volksparkstadion pitch to face a top-tier club like Dortmund is already a memorable football story.

And they'll arrive in a regular bus decorated with HEBC's team symbols and colors, welcoming this "match of a lifetime" in the club's history.

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