Shakhtar seek Stamford Bridge for Champions League home games
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- Shakhtar Donetsk want to play their Champions League home games at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge this season, with negotiations ongoing according to Ukrainian sources
- Displaced since the 2014 Russia-backed annexation of Donetsk, Shakhtar currently play domestic matches in Kyiv and Lviv and European home games in Germany, Slovenia and Poland
- Chelsea's 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge is preferred over Fulham's Craven Cottage and Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium, both considered but smaller
- The relationship built since Chelsea signed Mykhailo Mudryk in 2023 and through the Game4Ukraine charity match is cited as the basis, with sources stressing the move is not commercially motivated
- The plan targets 32,000 Ukraine-born London residents (with about 100,000 people of Ukrainian heritage in the UK), with officials believing they can sell out a larger arena
- Stamford Bridge is available because Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season, leaving them without European football, though Hammersmith and Fulham Council and UEFA would need to approve additional fixtures
Why it matters: If approved, Shakhtar would stage Champions League nights at a 40,000-seat London stadium, with officials eyeing sellouts among the 32,000 Ukraine-born residents in the capital. The deal hinges on sign-off from Hammersmith and Fulham Council and UEFA — without it, a club displaced since 2014 stays in its European away-game limbo.
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