London calling for Shakhtar! Ukrainian champions make Stamford Bridge their European home

Champions League football is returning to Stamford Bridge this season, just not with Chelsea.

Details: Fabrizio Romano has made it official: Shakhtar Donetsk will play their Champions League home games at Stamford Bridge this season. The club said that playing their home matches at Chelsea's stadium is a special opportunity, and thanked the London club for the chance to host games at this venue.

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The Ukrainian champions have not played at their Donbas Arena since 2014 because of the war, hosting European matches in Germany, Slovenia and Poland in recent years. This time Shakhtar, who secured a direct league phase spot thanks to their coefficient, chose London, with Craven Cottage and the Gtech Community Stadium also shortlisted before Stamford Bridge won the race.

There's a delicious irony here: Chelsea failed to qualify for Europe this season, yet their stadium will still host the Champions League anthem. It's worth noting that Stamford Bridge holds just over 40,000 fans, and Shakhtar's first home game of the league phase in September will mark the venue's first Champions League night in over a year.

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