Donbass Arena (Donetsk)

Donbass Arena

The Donbass Arena opened in 2009 to replace Shakhtar Donetsk’s former home, Shakhtar Stadium. The name refers to the region in southeastern Ukraine in which Donetsk is situated in. The stadium officially opened with a capacity of 52,187 on the 29th August 2009 to coincide with the Ukrainian holiday of Miners Day, with the event featuring a concert by Beyoncé.

The first football match took place on the 27th September as Shakhtar Donetsk defeated FC Obolon Kyiv 4-0 in a Ukrainian Premier League fixture. The first international game took place place in November with Greece beating Ukraine 1-0 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The stadium was included as part of Poland and Ukraine’s successful bid to host UEFA Euro 2012. The Donbass Arena would host three group matches (featuring England, France and Ukraine), a quarter-final (with Spain beating France 2-0) and the semi-final in which Spain defeated Portugal 4-2 on penalties.

Shakhtar Donetsk moved away from the stadium in July 2014 due to the ongoing war in the Donbas region – Shakhtar have since played at Arena Lviv in Lviv, Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv and now the National Sports Complex Olimpiyskiy in Kiev. The stadium remains unused and has since suffered infrastructure damage due to the conflict.

Tenants: Shakhtar Donetsk (2009-2014)

Opened: 2009

Capacity: 52,187

Address: Chelyuskintsiv St, 189E, Donetsk, Donets’ka oblast, Ukraine, 83048



Location of Donbass Arena

Donbass Arena

Donbass Arena is located in the central Voroshylovskyi district in central Donetsk in the east of Ukraine.


Further Information & Events

Shakhtar Donetsk Official Website


Last Updated on June 4, 2022 by Sports Tourist

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