Shakhtar want to play Champions League ties at Chelsea

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk is seeking to play their Champions League home matches at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge this season. The club has faced the loss of their Donbas Arena since the 2014 annexation of Donetsk, forcing them to play domestic and European games in other cities. Negotiations for this move are ongoing, with Chelsea reportedly offering the preferred venue due to the opportunity to play at their 40,000-capacity stadium.

This proposed agreement is not driven by commercial motives but rather by the existing strong relationship between the two clubs, enhanced by their collaboration in the charity match Game4Ukraine. Other potential locations like Fulham's Craven Cottage and Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium were also considered, but Stamford Bridge's greater capacity appears more appealing.

The aim is to engage with the 32,000 Ukraine-born residents in London, with over 100,000 people of Ukrainian heritage residing in the UK. The availability of Chelsea's stadium comes after their 10th-place Premier League finish last season, eliminating the need for European football commitments. Further fixtures would require approval from Hammersmith and Fulham Council, as well as UEFA.