Ukraine’s Shakhtar to use ex-Russian-owned Chelsea as Champions League home
Shakhtar have not played at home since 2014 when Russia annexed the Donetsk region and now switch to Chelsea’s ground. Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk has agreement to play their home Champions League games at Chelsea’s ground in London, which for nearly 20 years was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
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Key Facts
- Fact 1: Shakhtar have not played at home since 2014 when Russia annexed the Donetsk region and now switch to Chelsea’s ground.
- Fact 2: Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk has agreement to play their home Champions League games at Chelsea’s ground in London, which for nearly 20 years was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
- Fact 3: Top 10 players to watch in the 2026-27 European football season La Liga: Five key talking points heading into Barcelona’s 2026-27 season La Liga: The key talking points for Real Madrid before the 2026-27 season Northern Italy seeks to keep the pressure on the south as Serie A returns The war begun by Russia also forced Abramovich to sell Chelsea under pressure from British government sanctions.
- Fact 4: “But while the war makes this impossible, Stamford Bridge is an exceptional place for us to call home in Europe.” The club has been unable to play in Donetsk since 2014 when Russian-backed conflict started in the Donbas region.
Shakhtar have not played at home since 2014 when Russia annexed the Donetsk region and now switch to Chelsea’s ground. Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk has agreement to play their home Champions League games at Chelsea’s ground in London, which for nearly 20 years was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Shakhtar has at least four home games in the elite competition that starts next month, but cannot play in Ukraine for security reasons since the Russian military invasion four years ago. Top 10 players to watch in the 2026-27 European football season La Liga: Five key talking points heading into Barcelona’s 2026-27 season La Liga: The key talking points for Real Madrid before the 2026-27 season Northern Italy seeks to keep the pressure on the south as Serie A returns The war begun by Russia also forced Abramovich to sell Chelsea under pressure from British government sanctions. The club’s ownership group now includes United States businessman, Todd Boehly, and Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake Capital.
(Original synthesis pending human/AI review — generated by the stub provider by selecting real sentences from the source material, not by writing new analysis or commentary.)
Original source: Al Jazeera
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