Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium is under consideration to host Shakhtar Donetsk's Champions League games next season, with the Ukrainian club confirming talks with several venues in the UK and Germany.
Talks underway for host stadium
Standard Sport understands that Shakhtar are in negotiations with multiple venues across the United Kingdom and Germany to secure a host stadium for their European matches. The Ukrainian giants are unable to stage their Champions League home games in Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict with Russia. UEFA has prohibited Shakhtar from hosting European fixtures in the war-torn country for safety reasons. Last season, they played their Conference League home games in Krakow, Poland.
Brentford’s 17,000-seater stadium, which recently hosted the World Sevens Football Tournament, has now emerged as a contender. Negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs.
Community ties with Ukraine
Brentford have a strong connection to Ukraine, with neighbouring Hounslow and Ealing having substantial Ukrainian communities. The club have also run local projects to help displaced Ukrainian families.
In a statement to Standard Sport, an official spokesperson for Shakhtar said: “Shakhtar is currently negotiating with several venues in the United Kingdom and Germany in order to secure a host stadium for its UEFA Champions League matches next season. We will not comment on the process until a decision is announced in the near future.”
Champions League schedule
The first round of qualifying for the 2026/27 Champions League takes place across July 7-8, 2026, though Shakhtar will not enter until the league phase, which begins on September 8 and takes place across three consecutive days.
Revenue generation at Gtech
Brentford have routinely generated extra revenue by renting out the Gtech since moving into the stadium in 2020. As well as hosting Women’s Super League teams for the World Sevens Football Tournament in May, the Bees also rented out the stadium to now-defunct rugby union club London Irish between 2020 and 2023. The Bees also hosted the Unity Cup in 2025 and several international men’s and women’s football games.
