Shakhtar Donetsk seeks to host Champions League ties at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge

Since the 2014 annexation of Donetsk, Shakhtar Donetsk has been forced to play domestic fixtures in Kyiv and Lviv and to host European matches in Germany, Slovenia and Poland. For the current Champions League campaign, the club is pursuing the use of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, a 40,000-capacity stadium in west London. The proposal reflects a deepening partnership that began with Chelsea signing Mykhailo Mudryk in 2023 and includes joint charity work, and it is presented as non-commercial.

Alternative London sites such as Fulham's Craven Cottage and Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium were considered but rejected due to their smaller sizes. The move aims to connect with the roughly 32,000 Ukraine-born residents and about 100,000 people of Ukrainian heritage living in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics. Chelsea's recent 10th-place finish means no European commitments, reducing scheduling conflicts, though the plan still requires clearance from Hammersmith and Fulham Council and UEFA.