The Dynamo Challenge

[Tikka Mezzala]

The Dynamo Sports Club

In 1923, in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the Dynamo Sports Club was formed. From the very outset of its existence, the club was affiliated with the notorious security apparatus of the USSR (NKVD, and post-WWII, the MVD and KGB). As the "iron curtain" was drawn across Central and Eastern Europe after the Second World War, the Dynamo/Dinamo/Dünamo brand proliferated and many clubs across the region were either created by or absorbed into the local Dynamo Sports Clubs. The teams that became affiliated with the sporting society often adopted the 'Dynamo' moniker as part of their official title, and there are still many clubs across Central and Eastern Europe that have retained the name today. Some of the more famous examples are Dinamo Moscow, Dynamo Kiev, Dinamo Zagreb, and Dynamo Dresden.

The storied and varied histories of the respective Dynamo Sports Clubs across the Eastern half of Europe is the inspiration behind the Dynamo Challenge. The basic rules of the challenge are quite simple: you must try to win as many national top-flight titles with a team that have at some point in their history been affiliated with their nation's Dynamo Sports Club. My research has found that there are fifteen countries with such clubs, meaning there are fifteen national titles to be won in order to complete the challenge. 

If winning national leagues is too easy for you, then the challenge can be extended to trying to win all three European competitions (UEFA Champions League; UEFA Europa League; UEFA Conference League) with one or more of the teams. 

I have no set rules about where you should start and what qualifications/past-experience your manager should have at the outset. Consider this something that is open for your own determination. 

You will need to download some of the missing leagues from the original FM21 database in order to enjoy the full scope of the challenge, but if you wish to simply stick to the leagues that are already part of the game's database, and do a shorter challenge, that's perfectly fine. I recommend heading over to the Editor's Hideaway and downloading DaveTheEditor's megapack:

This should provide you with most of the missing leagues. I also recommend having a look around the Steam workshop for German and Serbian lower-league databases. 

Below is the list of teams that you should look to manage in each country. While the list may not be exhaustive, it should provide enough options for your save. Some teams have changed their names and no longer carry the 'Dynamo' moniker, but my research has allowed me to include them in the list below:

Albania:  FK Dinamo Tirana.

Belarus: Dinamo Minsk; Dinamo Brest.

Bulgaria: Levski Sofia.

Croatia: HNK Cibalia; NK Dinamo Zagreb.

Czech Republic: SK Dynamo Ceske Budejovice.

Estonia:  Dünamo Tallin.

Georgia: Dinamo Tbilisi; Dinamo Batumi.

Germany: Berliner FC Dynamo; SG Dynamo Dresden.

Hungary: Ujpest.

Latvia: FK Dinamo-Rinuzi/LASD.

Moldova: Dinamo-Auto Tiraspol; FC Dinamo Bender.

Romania: FC Dinamo Bucuresti.

Russia: Dynamo Barnaul; Dynamo Bryansk; Dinamo Moskva; Dynamo St Petersburg; Dynamo Stavropol; Dynamo Vologda; Dynamo Voronezh.

Serbia: FK Dinamo Vranje.

Ukraine: FC Desna Chernihiv; FC Podillya Khmelnytskyi; Dynamo Kiev; FC Chornomorets Odessa.

As mentioned above, there are fifteen countries and hence fifteen titles needed to complete the challenge. If you wish to take the more difficult challenge, then on top of these national titles, the three European competitions are needed for full completion. 

If you complete the challenge, reward yourself by picking up an old-fashioned Dynamo Sports Club badge, and proudly wear it about to show people you have completed the Dynamo Challenge!  

Best of Luck! 

[Tikka Mezzala]

In order to manage the full list of Russian teams, you should download a lower-leagues database from the steam workshop. But alternately, Dinamo Moscow are already part of the original database, so there's no need unless you fancy managing one of the other teams. This might also be the case for the other Croatian and some of the Ukrainian teams, but again, Dinamo Zagreb and Dynamo Kiev are already there. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Tikka Mezzala