Shakhtar Donetsk target Stamford Bridge for Champions League home games

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk GETTY IMAGES

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk are targeting Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge as the venue for their Champions League home games this season.

Shakhtar have been unable to play at their Donbas Arena since 2014, following Russia-backed forces’ seizure of parts of Donetsk. The club has since hosted domestic fixtures in cities including Kyiv and Lviv, while their European home matches have been played in Germany, Slovenia and Poland.

As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, negotiations are ongoing, with Ukrainian sources indicating that Stamford Bridge is the preferred option because of its 40,000-capacity and location in west London.

The move is not understood to be commercially motivated. Instead, the two clubs have developed a strong relationship since Chelsea signed Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar in 2023 and through their involvement in the Game4Ukraine charity match.

Shakhtar also considered Fulham’s Craven Cottage and Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium as possible venues.

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However, Stamford Bridge offers a larger capacity, and Shakhtar officials believe matches against some of Europe’s biggest clubs could attract large crowds in London.

The proposed move would also allow the Ukrainian club to connect with the country’s community in the UK. There are about 32,000 Ukraine-born residents in London, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures, while around 100,000 people of Ukrainian heritage live across the UK.

Stamford Bridge is available because Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season and therefore have no European fixtures this campaign.

That should minimise potential scheduling conflicts, although any agreement would still require approval from Hammersmith and Fulham Council and UEFA.

For Shakhtar, playing Champions League football at Stamford Bridge would provide a temporary home for European competition while maintaining a connection with Ukrainian supporters living in London and elsewhere in the UK.

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