Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk has confirmed an agreement to host its upcoming Champions League home matches at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium in London. The venue, which was under the ownership of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich for nearly two decades, will serve as the team’s base for four home fixtures during the competition’s main phase, pending final regulatory approvals from UEFA. The specific opponents for these matches will be determined during the competition draw scheduled for next Thursday in Monaco.
The move comes as the club remains unable to host matches within Ukraine due to security concerns stemming from the Russian military invasion that began four years ago. Since the initial conflict in the Donbas region in 2014, Shakhtar has been displaced from its home in Donetsk. Between 2014 and 2021, the club played its European matches at various locations across Ukraine, later shifting to venues in Poland, Germany, and Slovenia from 2022 onwards. This arrangement marks the first time the team will play a home game in England.
In a statement released on Friday, Shakhtar expressed its gratitude for the opportunity, noting, “Our true home is Ukraine and we all hope that very soon we will be able to play European football in front of our own fans again. But while the war makes this impossible, Stamford Bridge is an exceptional place for us to call home in Europe.” Chelsea, now under an ownership group including American businessman Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake Capital, confirmed they would collaborate with the Ukrainian side to ensure the matches are conducted safely and comfortably for both the team and its supporters.
Chelsea, which did not qualify for any UEFA competition this season, will not face any scheduling conflicts with the Ukrainian champions. The London club’s current squad also features former Shakhtar winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. The transition of Chelsea’s ownership occurred following the imposition of British government sanctions on Abramovich, which forced the sale of the club. The report also notes that which for nearly 20 years was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk has agreement to play their home Champions League games at Chelsea’s ground in London.
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