Shakhtar Donetsk to continue playing European matches at the Volksparkstadion

In August, Shakhtar, HSV and UEFA agreed that HSV would act as co-hosts and make the Volksparkstadion available for the matches in Europe’s premier competition. All parties have requested that the successful collaboration continue following the completion of Shakhtar’s first three home fixtures.

In the group stage of the current Champions League season, Donetsk have played three blockbuster matches at the Volksparkstadion: a 3-1 defeat to Porto (19th September) and two 1-0 wins against Barcelona (7th November) and Royal Antwerp (28th November). During these matches, football fans from the Hamburg area came together with Shakhtar supporters and visiting fans to create a full stadium and a unique atmosphere at the Volksparkstadion.

Shakhtar Donetsk currently sit on nine points in their UCL group and are guaranteed to finish at least third. Whether they advance to the UCL round of 16 or drop down to the Europe League will be decided on the sixth Champions League matchday (12th-13th December).

Hamburger SV will once again handle the matchday organisation for Shakhtar’s games at the Volksparkstadion, including the sale of tickets. As a thank-you for their support so far, Shakhtar and HSV season ticket holders will be able to book advance tickets at a reduced price. This pre-sale will open on Friday (8th December) at 10:00 CET and is unaffected by competition and opposition. It will close next Wednesday (13th December) at 18:00 CET, directly before Shakhtar’s final UCL group game against FC Porto kicks off (21:00 CET). Details about the subsequent pre-sale for HSV members and then general sale will be announced in due course.

The Volksparkstadion has a capacity of 51,500 for international fixtures, as spectators are required to sit while watching the game rather than stand. HSV are looking forward to hosting more top-class international matches in the future.

The collaboration between HSV and Shakhtar Donetsk will also be further used to support those impacted by the war in Ukraine. Visitors to the stadium are given many opportunities to donate to the Donetsk-based charity “Shakhtar Social” and Hamburg organisation #WeAreAllUkranians. In May 2022, HSV organised and carried out a successful charity match for Ukraine at the Volksparkstadion, which raised over 200,000 Euros worth of donations.