Premier League Club Could Host Champions League Matches Without Participating in the Tournament

Shakhtar Donetsk could play their Champions League home matches in England next season. The Ukrainian champions are in talks with several clubs regarding hosting their fixtures in Europe's most prestigious club competition for the upcoming campaign. Shakhtar has been unable to host continental matches in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, as UEFA banned Ukrainian clubs from playing European ties in the country due to security concerns. The club has been forced to play away from its home city since 2014, when fighting in the Donbas region drove them from the Donbas Arena in Donetsk after the stadium was hit by shelling. Since then, the team has moved between Lviv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, and from the start of the 2023/2024 season, they have been playing their domestic league home matches at Arena Lviv once again.

For their European fixtures last season, Shakhtar utilized a stadium in Poland, hosting their Conference League matches at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow – home to Wisła Kraków, with a capacity of 33,326. Wisła President, Jarosław Królewski, confirmed that the club would not provide its stadium for next season after their team returned to the Polish top flight. This has forced Shakhtar to seek a new base, with the club confirming negotiations with venues in the UK and Germany. London is believed to be their preferred destination. For now, Brentford's 17,000-capacity stadium is emerging as a frontrunner. The Bees have strong ties to Ukraine, as large Ukrainian communities reside in the neighboring boroughs of Hounslow and Ealing. The club has also supported displaced Ukrainian families through local projects. This isn't the first time Brentford has leased its stadium for additional revenue. Between 2020 and 2023, the rugby team London Irish played there, and the venue has also hosted the Unity Cup in 2025, the World Minifootball Tournament in May, and a number of international matches.

A Shakhtar spokesperson stated: "Shakhtar is currently in negotiations with several venues in the United Kingdom and Germany to secure a home stadium for their Champions League matches next season. We will not comment on the process until a decision is announced in the near future." Shakhtar will bypass the July qualifying rounds and enter directly into the Champions League group stage.