Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk are reportedly looking to host their home matches for the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.
Shakhtar qualified directly for the forthcoming Champions League after winning their domestic league last season. Chelsea, on the other hand, finished 10th in the Premier League table, which left them without European football.
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According to the BBC, Shakhtar Donetsk are in talks to make Chelsea’s home ground their European home for the 2026/27 campaign. Since 2014, the Miners have been unable to play at the Donbas Arena, their home ground, following the Russo-Ukrainian war in the eastern Donbas of Ukraine.
The displacement has forced them to host their European home games across Germany, Slovenia, and Poland. Shakhtar’s last appearance in the UEFA Champions League was in the 2024-25 campaign, with Schalke 04’s Arena AufSchalke serving as their home ground.
In addition to Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk have been in talks with Brentford and Fulham regarding the possibility of hosting Champions League matches on their respective home grounds.
However, with the Gtech Community Stadium and Craven Cottage having smaller capacities, Stamford Bridge has now emerged as their top choice.
The report adds that the move to host Champions League matches at Stamford Bridge is not commercially motivated, as both clubs have built a strong relationship after the Blues signed Mykhailo Mudryk in 2023 and through their involvement in the charity match Game4Ukraine.
A Shakhtar official had previously confirmed that the club is in negotiations with several stadiums in the United Kingdom and Germany in an effort to secure a venue to host its Champions League matches for the forthcoming season.
Should an agreement with the Blues be reached, it would mark the first time Stamford Bridge would host Champions League matches without the West London club themselves.
Edited by Ezekiel Olamide
