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.Published On 21 Aug 202621 Aug 2026Ukrainian 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.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Top 10 players to watch in the 2026-27 European football seasonlist 2 of 4La Liga: Five key talking points heading into Barcelona’s 2026-27 seasonlist 3 of 4La Liga: The key talking points for Real Madrid before the 2026-27 seasonlist 4 of 4Northern Italy seeks to keep the pressure on the south as Serie A returnsend of listThe 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.Shakhtar said it will play four home games in the main p...