Champions League in London! Shakhtar aims to play their European season at Stamford Bridge

Shakhtar are in talks to host their Champions League home matches this season at Stamford Bridge.

Details: According to the BBC, the Ukrainian club is looking to make Chelsea’s stadium their European home for the 2026/27 campaign. The Miners, reigning champions of Ukraine, have qualified directly for the Champions League group stage, but the ongoing war prevents them from playing at home. Previously, Shakhtar also approached Fulham and Brentford, but Stamford Bridge has emerged as their top priority.

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The club’s exile has lasted 12 years: Shakhtar have not played at the Donbass Arena since 2014, when conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine. Since then, they have hosted domestic league matches in Lviv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, while their European fixtures have taken place in Hamburg, Gelsenkirchen, Ljubljana, and Warsaw, with last season’s campaign staged in Krakow.

A Shakhtar spokesperson confirmed the club is in negotiations with several stadiums in the UK and Germany, with a decision expected soon. Should an agreement with Chelsea be reached, Stamford Bridge would, for the first time ever, host Champions League matches without the Blues themselves, giving London fans a unique opportunity to witness the Ukrainian side in Europe’s premier club competition.

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