Shakhtar Donetsk Wants to Use Stamford Bridge for Champions League Matches

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk is looking to play their Champions League home games at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge this season.

Since 2014, Shakhtar has not been able to use their Donbas Arena. This is due to Russia-backed forces taking control of parts of Donetsk. The team has hosted domestic matches in cities like Kyiv and Lviv. For their European games, they have played in Germany, Slovenia, and Poland.

BBC Sport reported on Friday that talks are happening. Ukrainian sources say Stamford Bridge is the top choice because it can hold 40,000 fans and is located in west London.

This decision does not seem to be about making money. Shakhtar and Chelsea have built a good relationship since Chelsea signed Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar in 2023. They also collaborated for the Game4Ukraine charity match.

Shakhtar also looked at Fulham’s Craven Cottage and Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium as other options.

But Stamford Bridge has a bigger capacity. Shakhtar officials think playing against Europe’s top clubs could draw large crowds in London.

Moving to Stamford Bridge would also help Shakhtar connect with the Ukrainian community in the UK. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, about 32,000 people born in Ukraine live in London. Around 100,000 people of Ukrainian heritage are spread across the UK.

Stamford Bridge is free since Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season. They do not have European matches this year.

This should reduce possible scheduling issues, but any deal still needs approval from Hammersmith and Fulham Council and UEFA.

For Shakhtar, playing at Stamford Bridge would give them a temporary home for European matches. It would also help them stay connected with Ukrainian fans in London and other parts of the UK.