Shakhtar take Champions League home campaign to London after 12 years in exile

Shakhtar Donetsk have reached London after a nine-hour journey, the Guardian reported on Wednesday. The Ukrainian club is using Chelsea's Stamford Bridge for its Champions League home matches this season, the latest temporary venue in an exile from Donetsk that has lasted 12 years. The arrangement covers the four home fixtures in the competition's league phase.

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Shakhtar have been unable to use the Donbas Arena since May 2014, according to Sky Sports. Their European home matches have subsequently moved between countries, while the club has continued competing domestically in Ukraine. Stamford Bridge became available after Chelsea failed to qualify for European football for the 2026/27 season, allowing another club's continental campaign to be accommodated alongside Chelsea's domestic schedule.

The move also puts Shakhtar's wartime finances in focus. In an interview published by Forbes and carried by Yahoo Sports on October 13, chief executive Serhii Palkin described player sales and UEFA payments as the club's two principal sources of income. He said the loss of the revenue streams available before the war had fundamentally changed how the organisation operates.

Developing players remains central to that model. Palkin told Forbes that Shakhtar retained its ability to recruit talent, improve players and transfer them to leading European leagues. He also described a return home as a long-term ambition with two stages: first restoring European matches in Ukraine, then returning to Donetsk itself. No timetable for either step was given in the interview.

Chelsea announced the stadium agreement in August, initially subject to regulatory approvals, and said the clubs would work together on matchday arrangements for players and supporters. Shakhtar's accompanying statement presented the venue as an opportunity to connect with both Ukrainian and English fans. Sky Sports noted the substantial Ukrainian community in west London, giving the displaced club a local audience beyond its travelling support.

Shakhtar's subsequent ticket announcement confirmed AEK Athens as the opponent for the first Stamford Bridge fixture on October 14. The London programme provides a venue for Champions League football without ending the club's displacement: its designated home games in Europe remain outside Ukraine, and its long-term goal remains a return to Donetsk.