Shakhtar Donetsk

Shakhtar Donetsk is one of the most recognizable brands in European football and an absolute powerhouse of Ukrainian sports, having permanently redefined the balance of power in its homeland. For decades, the club from the Donets Basin engaged in fierce battles against Dynamo Kyiv, ultimately securing consecutive Ukrainian Premier League titles, domestic Cups, and Super Cups. The Miners' greatest and historic triumph on the international stage arrived in 2009, when they captured the UEFA Cup by defeating Werder Bremen 2-1 in a thrilling final in Istanbul, becoming the first club from independent Ukraine to lift a major European trophy. These triumphs firmly established Shakhtar as a permanent and formidable fixture in the UEFA Champions League group stage, frequently advancing to the knockout rounds of the elite competition.

At the very core of this massive sporting success lay a unique squad-building philosophy, initiated by owner Rinat Akhmetov and legendary manager Mircea Lucescu. The club developed a brilliant scouting system centered around recruiting young, exceptionally talented, and technical players from Brazil, who transformed in Donetsk into world-class stars, such as Fernandinho, Willian, Douglas Costa, and Fred. This South American flair in the attacking line, seamlessly blended with a resilient Ukrainian defensive core, forged a spectacular style of play that captivated all of Europe. Even when faced with a severe geopolitical crisis that forced the club to flee its state-of-the-art home—the Donbass Arena—in 2014 and play in exile across various Ukrainian and European cities, Shakhtar proved its indomitable character, consistently remaining at the absolute top of the game.

Ten years on the road: Shakhtar Donetsk’s life in exile

Opened in 2009, Donbas Arena was the pride of Shakhtar Donetsk and one of the most modern stadiums in Europe. With a capacity of around 50,000 spectators, it was also one of the venues for UEFA Euro 2012. Shakhtar played its last match at the stadium on 2 May 2014. The escalation of the armed conflict in Donbas forced the club to leave Donetsk. Since then, Shakhtar have been unable to play matches in their home city and have spent more than a decade using venues in different parts of Ukraine and abroad.

In the 2014/15 season, the club moved its base to Kyiv, while playing most of its home matches at Arena Lviv. In subsequent seasons, Shakhtar also used other Ukrainian stadiums. From 2017, their temporary home became Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv. The club played there regularly until 2020, when some matches were moved back to Kyiv.

In 2020, Shakhtar began playing their matches at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, sharing the venue with Dynamo Kyiv. The Ukrainian capital also remained an important base for the club, which conducted its sporting and training activities there. Shakhtar still could not return to Donetsk, however, and a return to Donbas Arena remained impossible due to the ongoing conflict.

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 made the situation even more complicated. In domestic competitions, Shakhtar once again used stadiums in western Ukraine, including Arena Lviv. Their European home matches, however, had to be moved outside Ukraine. In the following years, the club played at several well-known European stadiums.

In the 2022/23 season, Shakhtar played their Champions League home matches at Wojska Polskiego Stadium in Warsaw. Poland became an important location for the club, which could not safely host matches in Ukraine. In subsequent seasons, Shakhtar also used stadiums in Germany. In the 2024/25 season, their Champions League home venue was Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.

In the 2025/26 season, the club once again moved its European matches to Poland. This time, Shakhtar's home venue was Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Kraków, where the team played its European fixtures. Kraków became another stop on the long list of stadiums that have served as a temporary home for the Ukrainian club in recent years.

In the 2026/27 season, Shakhtar Donetsk will play their home matches in the Champions League league phase at Stamford Bridge in London, under an agreement with Chelsea FC. The agreement, announced on 21 August 2026, covers at least four matches under the competition's new format and is still awaiting formal approval from the relevant regulatory bodies, including UEFA.

The decision to move the European fixtures to London was influenced by several factors: the availability of the stadium, as Chelsea are not playing in European competitions this season; the venue's capacity of around 40,000; and the sizeable Ukrainian community in west London, which should facilitate match organisation and provide support for the team. Earlier reports indicated that Shakhtar had also considered other London venues, including those of Brentford and Fulham, but ultimately chose Stamford Bridge.

For Shakhtar, this will be another chapter in more than a decade of playing in exile. Since 2014, the club have been unable to use Donbas Arena, while their European “home” matches have been hosted in Poland, Germany and Slovenia. Now, for the first time, they will be played in England.