Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 inevitably upended football too. The Ukrainian league was suspended for a year before returning, fitfully, under the constant threat of air raids and drone attacks from across the border. The leading players at the country’s biggest clubs, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv, terminated their contracts and left the country. Shakhtar, the dominant Ukrainian side in the seasons before the war, had to relocate the club itself, first to Kyiv and then to Poland, moving its operations out of the Donbas, the region where the fighting was fiercest and which is now under Russian control. Through all of this, the orange-and-blacks have continued to play in European competition, but always at neutral venues. For years, that has meant a succession of stadiums in Poland. Now they are looking much further west.
According to The Athletic, Shakhtar are close to an agreement with Chelsea to play their home Champions League matches at Stamford Bridge in 2026/27. Talks are at an advanced stage, although nothing has yet been formally signed and several bureaucratic steps remain. Fulham and Brentford had also been in the running, but Stamford Bridge has emerged as the preferred option in recent weeks. Sources close to Shakhtar, speaking anonymously to the American outlet, say the talks with Chelsea are progressing well. There is still no final agreement, and a substantial amount of paperwork remains to be completed. Another stadium is still under consideration, but Stamford Bridge is currently the leading candidate. Shakhtar are expected to make their choice official at the beginning of next week.
The search for a European home is nothing new for Shakhtar. They have not played at the Donbas Arena, their old stadium in Donetsk, since 2014, when Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of war in the region made home matches impossible. Since then, European campaigns have meant life on the road. From the 2022/23 Champions League onwards, Shakhtar’s UEFA home games have been played in Germany, Slovenia and Poland, far from Donetsk and their own supporters. The club began looking at options for next season over the summer, hoping to find somewhere more permanent. London quickly emerged as a possibility. Stamford Bridge, in particular, would be a convenient fit. Chelsea will not play in Europe in 2026/27 after finishing in mid-table, leaving room in the stadium calendar and making it easier to accommodate Shakhtar’s matches.
Shakhtar would, of course, pay to use the ground. Money, though, is unlikely to be the main reason Chelsea are interested. The two clubs have had a good relationship for years, strengthened by one of the biggest transfers between them in recent memory. In January 2023, Chelsea signed Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar for an initial £62 million. The transfer strengthened the relationship between the clubs and could now pave the way for another, rather more unusual, collaboration. For Shakhtar, Stamford Bridge would offer one of European football’s most recognisable settings, as well as a venue that is straightforward for supporters, players and staff to reach. After more than a decade without a home, it would be quite a place to return to Europe.