Champions League
Donetsk plays premier games in Hamburg’s Volkspark
Shakhtar Donetsk will play its Champions League home games in the group stage in Hamburg. photo
© Christian Charisius/dpa
The Ukrainian club Donetsk plays their Champions League home games in Hamburg. At least three games will initially take place in the Volksparkstadion. German clubs are also possible opponents.
Because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Shakhtar’s home games are no longer played in Ukraine. HSV takes over the complete organizational implementation of the game days for the Ukrainians and receives a share of the turnover in return.
“We are sure that the games in the Volksparkstadion will be played at the highest level and will gather both local football fans and thousands of Ukrainians who are currently temporarily living in Germany and other European countries in the stands,” said Shakhtar CEO Dmytro Kyrylenko .
The group stage draw is scheduled for August 31st. Then it will be clear which top European clubs will come to the 57,000-seat stadium in Hamburg. Donetsk is in pot three. The German opponents Bayern Munich from pot one, as well as Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig from pot two and Union Berlin from pot four are also possible opponents. According to dpa information, 51,500 spectators are allowed in the premier class games, as there will be no standing room.
The Ukrainians, whose stadium was badly damaged in 2014, played their home games in the Polish capital Warsaw last season. Due to overlapping dates, this will not work in the coming European Cup season.