Shakhtar Donetsk in talks with Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford over London Champions League home games | OneFootball

Shakhtar Donetsk have opened talks with Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford about staging their Champions League home fixtures in London this season.

According to NY Times, the Ukrainian club have qualified for the 2026-27 group phase, have held discussions with all three and regard London as a strong option while they search for a host venue.

Shakhtar have not played at the Donbas Arena since 2014, when conflict erupted in the east of Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea. Since 2022-23 they have hosted European ties in Germany, Slovenia and Poland.

Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford are not in European competition this season, so their grounds would be available. The selected club would also receive a fee from Shakhtar for staging duties.

Stamford Bridge has regularly staged UEFA matches over the past 31 years. Fulham have played one UEFA Cup and two Europa League campaigns at Craven Cottage, which now holds just under 30,000.

Brentford moved into the Gtech Community Stadium in 2020 and are yet to feature in a UEFA tournament. The ground hosted matches at the women’s European Championship in 2022, an England v Australia women’s friendly in 2023 and the men’s Unity Cup in 2025 featuring Ghana, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

Source: NY Times