Start of Kyiv's Dynamo in the Europa League: Meeting with Romanian 'Universitatea'

Preparation and Expectations Before the Match 'Dynamo' - 'Universitatea Cluj'

According to Главком: On July 9, 2026, Kyiv's 'Dynamo' will play its first match of the qualification round of the Europa League season 2026/27 against the Romanian club 'Universitatea' from Cluj-Napoca. The match will take place at the 'Lublin Arena', with the live broadcast starting at 20:00 Kyiv time. The game can be watched on the media service 'Kyivstar TV' and the channel '2+2'.

Results of Friendly Matches

During the off-season, 'Dynamo' played five friendly matches, winning three, drawing once, and losing once. The Kyiv team defeated:

• Slovak 'Zilina' with a score of 5:1,
• Cracow 'Wieczysta' (4:2),
• Austrian LASK (2:0).

The match against Prague's 'Slavia' ended in a draw (1:1), while the meeting with Bucharest's 'Rapid' resulted in a loss (1:3). The top scorer in the training camp was forward Matvey Ponomarenko, who scored five goals. The team is coached by Igor Kostyuk.

'Universitatea' from Cluj-Napoca, on the other hand, cannot boast of successful results in friendly matches. The Romanian club drew with Hungarian 'Ujpest' (0:0) and lost twice:

• to Serbian 'Vojvodina' (0:3),
• to Hungarian 'Nyiregyhaza' (0:3).

In these friendlies, 'Universitatea' did not score a single goal. The team is coached by Cristiano Bergodi.

Notably, 'Dynamo' forward Matvey Ponomarenko is of interest to Portuguese 'Porto'. So far, no official offer has been received from the Portuguese, but it is known that the Kyiv team has already declined to sell the player to 'Galatasaray' and Dortmund's 'Borussia', who offered 20 million euros. 'Dynamo' expects to receive 25–30 million euros for their forward.

The match 'Dynamo' - 'Universitatea Cluj' promises to be tense, considering the different preparedness of the teams and the current condition of the players.

For 'Dynamo', this match could be an important step in the fight for a place in the group stage of the European cups. Despite mixed results in friendly matches, the team is ready to showcase its potential in the qualification. 'Universitatea', however, will face serious difficulties, as their form in friendly encounters leaves much to be desired. The interest in Ponomarenko from European giants underscores that the Kyiv club intends to sell the player only at a favorable price, which may affect further transfer policy.

In anticipation of the important match against the Romanian club, Kyiv's 'Dynamo' learned the dates of its European cup matches, which adds extra motivation to the team. Given the recent results and the condition of the players, this encounter will be a significant step in the fight for advancement to the next round of the Europa League.