The Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk will play its home games in the 2024/2025 Champions League season at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. As the host club Schalke 04 announced, the agreement concerns all matches in the league phase of the newly organized tournament as well as possible other matches.
Last season, the Ukrainian top club played at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. In the meantime, the club, which cannot use its home ground in Donetsk due to the Russian war of aggression, also played in Warsaw. Next season, the club will rent the stadium of the current second division club Schalke 04, which will benefit financially from this.
“We are happy that we can play our games in one of the best stadiums in Germany. The positive experience of last season shows that Shakhtar has strong support from the fans in this country, both from the locals and from the Ukrainian refugees,” said Shakhtar General Director Serhiy Palkin.
At least four Champions League games “at Schalke”
At least four Champions League matches will be played in the Gelsenkirchen Arena between September 2024 and January 2025. The tournament format of the renowned football club competition has been changed for the coming season.
Instead of individual group phases, all teams will initially compete against each other within a league. This increases the total number of guaranteed games in the preliminary round from six to eight.
UEFA will announce who the Ukrainian club will face on August 29. Instead of the traditional draw, the matches will be determined by a computer this time.
The Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk will play its home games in the 2024/2025 Champions League season in the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. As the host club Schalke 04 announced, the agreement concerns all matches in the league phase of the newly organized tournament as well as possible other matches.
Last season, the Ukrainian top club played at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. In the meantime, the club, which cannot use its home ground in Donetsk due to the Russian war of aggression, also played in Warsaw. Next season, the club will rent the stadium of the current second division club Schalke 04, which will benefit financially from this.
