Why are Shakhtar playing at Chelsea? Stamford Bridge to host exiled Ukrainian side's Champions League home games

21.08.2026, 19:22 skysports.com

Shakhtar Donetsk will play their Champions League home games at Stamford Bridge this season after coming to an agreement with Chelsea to host their European matches while they remain in exile from their Donbas Arena home.

The Ukrainian side had been looking for a new temporary base for their continental games and had been linked with holding them at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium, but will instead travel several miles towards central London to Chelsea's 40,044-capacity home.

At the time of the last UK census in 2021, an estimated 19,000 Ukrainians lived in London while around 45,000 have since arrived in the capital since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022 with a high proportion settled in west London where Stamford Bridge is located.

The stadium will host at least four matches with Shakhtar automatically qualifying for the league phase of this season's competition after winning the Ukrainian Premier League last season.

Chelsea pointed to their own "disappointing 2025/26 season" as helping them with the logistics of accommodating Shakhtar, as their own 10th-placed finish in the Premier League means they will not be playing European football this season.

In a statement, Shakhtar said: "Playing our Champions League home matches at Stamford Bridge is a special opportunity for Shakhtar. We are grateful to Chelsea for the opportunity to host our games at this special venue."Stamford Bridge is one of the most famous stadiums in world football, with an incredible history and atmosphere. We are convinced that Shakhtar's matches in London will provide unforgettable emotions for Ukrainian and English fans."

Owing to the ongoing Russian invasion and occupation of the Donbas region since 2014, Shakhtar have been unable to play in their home stadium since they were forced to abandon it in May of that year and have largely used the Lviv Arena, over 700 miles away, for domestic home games ever since.

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More recently, their European home matches have been held across the continent, including in Poland, Slovenia and Germany - and now at Stamford Bridge.

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