Shakhtar to play 4 Champions League matches at Stamford Bridge — Politico Europe

Donetsk-based Shakhtar will play four home Champions League matches this season at Stamford Bridge in London, United Kingdom, where Chelsea play. Politico Europe reports. The first match in the British capital is scheduled for Wednesday.

Matches in London

Club CEO Serhii Palkin said the team represents not only Shakhtar but all of Ukraine. According to him, the London matches are also intended to support Ukrainians who left their homes and moved to London and England.

In London, Shakhtar are to play against Greece's AEK, Portugal's Sporting, Turkey's Fenerbahçe and Real Madrid. The club's sporting director, Darijo Srna, said the team constantly feels stress because of the war but wants to play for the fans and Ukraine.

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A club without a permanent home

Shakhtar left Donetsk in 2014 and has since played its home matches in various temporary cities. After the start of the Russian Federation's full-scale aggression — an aggressor state — against Ukraine in 2022, the team hosted opponents in Poland and Germany.

The club's kit bears the name SCM, Ukraine's largest private financial and industrial investment company, which belongs to Shakhtar owner Rinat Akhmetov. SCM's corporate relations director, Natalia Yemchenko, called on European investors to invest in Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of such investments for Europe's strategic, energy and food security.

Yemchenko also said that Russia's attacks on shopping centers and logistics facilities are aimed at demoralizing Ukrainian businesses and making life more difficult for civilians.