With Arsenal the only London club to finish in the Premier League's top five, Champions League matches in the capital seemed likely to be in short supply next season.

Although clubs such as Chelsea and Tottenham were regulars in Europe’s premier club competition in previous years, they could manage only 10th and 17th place respectively this time, and both missed out on European qualification altogether.

While Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi are preparing plans for a return to Europe, football supporters in London may yet have another chance to watch Champions League football in the coming campaign.

That is because Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, who have been forced to play their European fixtures outside their homeland since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are expected to stage their ‘home’ 2026/27 Champions League matches in London.

After recent talks, club head Arda Turan confirmed on Sunday that his team will travel to England to complete their home fixtures.

“It looks like we'll be playing our European matches in London for now,” he said after his side’s pre-season friendly draw against Bursaspor. “We really wanted to come to Turkey, but UEFA's conditions are putting a lot of pressure on us.

“Otherwise, playing in front of the fans in Bursa, Göztepe, Eskişehir has always been magnificent. We're expecting everyone in London too.”

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The venue for Shakhtar’s matches has not yet been decided, with the club having approached Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford earlier this month about the possibility of using their respective stadiums, according to The Athletic.

All three clubs failed to qualify for European football this season, so their grounds will be available, and the selected side would also gain an additional source of income, as the Ukrainian team, who have reached the competition’s group stage, will pay a fee to use the stadium.

Shakhtar have been playing their recent home European fixtures in Germany, Slovenia and Poland since the war began four years ago. In domestic football, they have lived a nomadic life since 2014, when Russian troops annexed Crimea, which meant they could no longer play at the Donbas Arena.

Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge is very familiar with hosting European matches, as the club has qualified regularly for several UEFA competitions over the past 30 years.

Fulham’s Craven Cottage has also seen major redevelopment in recent years, with the club having completed three European campaigns since 2000.

The newest ground on Shakhtar’s shortlist is Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium, which opened in 2020. Although the Bees have not yet qualified for Europe, the stadium staged matches at the women’s European Championship in 2022 and has also hosted several international games.