Shakhtar also weighed up using Fulham’s Craven Cottage and Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium as they assessed venues to stage elite European fixtures in west London. But both grounds hold fewer fans than Stamford Bridge, and with the potential of hosting major European opponents—or even English rivals—in the capital, officials believe a bigger stadium can be filled.
The move aims to engage London’s Ukrainian community, with around 32,000 Ukraine-born residents in the city and about 100,000 people of Ukrainian heritage across the UK, according to the ONS. Chelsea’s stadium is available after their 10th-place Premier League finish left them without European matches, minimizing scheduling conflicts, though any extra fixtures would still need approval from Hammersmith and Fulham Council and UEFA.