Dynamo Kiev
The club has had its share of success since its founding in 1927. In Ukrainian soccer, Dynamo Kiev has claimed 13 league titles, including an incredible run of nine straight crowns from the 1992-93 season through the 2000-01 campaign. The team has also claimed nine Ukrainian Cup titles, most recently in 2007. That year, the club knocked off Shakhtar Donetsk, 2-1, in the final.
The team also claimed 13 league championships and nine cup titles in the Soviet Union. During that time period, it was a source of pride for the Ukrainian people and served as the de facto national team for Ukraine, as considerable support was given the club by leaders of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Dynamo Kiev also has some European silverware to its credit. It claimed the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1975 and 1986. The 1975 championship was won in Basel, Switzerland, by a 3-0 score over Ferencváros, a club from Hungary. The 1986 title was clinched with an identical 3-0 victory over Spanish club Atlético Madrid. Dynamo Kiev performed admirably in the UEFA Champions League in 1977, 1987 and 1999, qualifying for the semifinal round in each of those years.
The club normally plays its home games at Dynamo Stadium. The facility's capacity is 16,873, and it was built in 1934. After it was destroyed in 1941 during World War II, the facility was rebuilt in 1954. The stadium’s capacity may increase to 30,000 in the near future. Games of significant interest are played at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, a 70,050-seat facility. That stadium also plays host to most games played by the Ukrainian national team as well as the final of the Ukrainian Cup. On July 1, it will also host the final of the Euro 2012, the European soccer championship.
