Shakhtar Donetsk are seeking to use Chelsea's Stamford Bridge as their home ground for UEFA Champions League fixtures this season, according to Ukrainian sources familiar with the negotiations.

The Ukrainian club have been displaced from their Donbas Arena since Russia-backed forces annexed Donetsk in 2014. Since then, Shakhtar have hosted domestic matches in Kyiv and Lviv, while their European home games have taken place in Germany, Slovenia, and Poland.

Why Stamford Bridge?

Stamford Bridge's 40,000-capacity stadium makes it the standout option for Shakhtar's officials, who believe they can fill a larger venue when facing Europe's elite clubs — or even English sides — on London soil. Fulham's Craven Cottage and Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium were also explored, but both were ruled out due to their smaller capacities.

Sources close to the talks insist the arrangement is not commercially driven. Instead, the move is rooted in the warm relationship Chelsea and Shakhtar have developed since Chelsea signed Mykhailo Mudryk in 2023, and through their shared involvement in the charity match Game4Ukraine.

A connection to London's Ukrainian community

The proposal also carries a deeper social dimension. Officials hope the switch to London will forge a stronger bond with the estimated 32,000 Ukraine-born residents living in the capital — a figure drawn from the latest Office for National Statistics data — with approximately 100,000 people of Ukrainian heritage residing across the UK.

Chelsea's availability as a host is partly a consequence of the club's 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season, which left them outside European competition. That absence from UEFA fixtures means scheduling conflicts should be minimal, though any additional matches at Stamford Bridge would require approval from both Hammersmith and Fulham Council and UEFA.

Negotiations are described as ongoing, and no formal agreement has yet been announced.