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Why Shakhtar Donetsk Are Playing Champions League Home Games at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge
The Ukrainian club is playing its fourth European home venue since the invasion, with only 2,000 fans allowed at its matches.
- On Wednesday, Shakhtar Donetsk will host AEK Athens in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge in London, serving as the Ukrainian club's temporary home for their four league-phase fixtures this season.
- Unable to play at the Donbas Arena since 2014, Shakhtar have navigated over 12 years of displacement, seeking stadiums across Europe to fulfill Champions League requirements amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- Manager Arda Turan said, "We are dreaming of the day that we can play in Ukraine again," while chief executive Sergei Palkin noted that playing in London keeps the war-torn nation's struggles "visible."
- Chelsea Football Club agreed to host the Ukrainian side following a "disappointing 2025-26 season and failure to qualify for European football," with The Blues working closely to ensure matchdays run safely and smoothly.
- Beyond football, DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko is leveraging London's status as a financial capital to attract investment and build a bridge between global capital markets and Ukraine's rapidly modernizing energy infrastructure.
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Champions League: How Ukrainians are uniting behind Shakhtar Donetsk in London - at new Stamford Bridge home
Shakhtar Donetsk will be playing Champions League home games at Stamford Bridge this season. It is a scenario nobody wants ideally, but the UK's Ukrainian community is making the best of a difficult situation.
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources31
Leaning Left5Leaning Right2Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 31%
C 56%
13%
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