Shakhtar wants to host Champions League home matches at Stamford Bridge

Shakhtar is considering hosting the new season's Champions League home matches at Stamford Bridge in London. According to the broadcaster, the Ukrainian club is already negotiating the use of the Chelsea stadium. Shakhtar has not been able to play matches at the Donbas Arena since 2014 after the Russian occupation of Donetsk. Since then, the team has hosted opponents in Kyiv and Lviv, and held European Cup matches at stadiums in Germany, Slovenia and Poland. Currently, Stamford Bridge is the priority option for Shakhtar. The Chelsea Arena can accommodate about 40,000 spectators, which makes it more attractive than other London stadiums that were considered by the Ukrainian club. In particular, Shakhtar studied the possibility of holding matches at Fulham's Craven Cottage and Brentford Community. However, both arenas have a smaller capacity, so Stamford Bridge would allow to count on a larger number of fans. According to the source, the potential move to London has no commercial motivation. Shakhtar and Chelsea have maintained a close relationship following the transfer of Mykhailo Mudryk to the London club in 2023, as well as through the joint charity initiative Game4Ukraine. A separate reason for choosing London is the significant Ukrainian community in the capital of Great Britain. According to the latest data, about 32,000 Ukrainians born in Ukraine live in London, while the total number of people of Ukrainian origin in Great Britain is estimated at about 100,000. Shakhtar's matches at Stamford Bridge are also facilitated by Chelsea's lack of European cups after finishing tenth in the Premier League last season. At the same time, UEFA and the local authorities of Hammersmith and Fulham need permission to finalize additional matches.