£318m stadium that hosted Man Utd and Arsenal was abandoned after 5 years

Teams like Manchester United and Arsenal once graced the turf of a stadium that has been left abandoned for over a decade

A stadium that hosted some of the biggest football matches in the world was left abandoned after just five years of use. The Donbass Arena in Ukraine was built as the home of Shakhtar Donetsk, designed by the same construction firm that created the Etihad Stadium and the Allianz Arena.

The 52,000 seater cost £318million to build, opening its doors on August 29, 2009, after three years of construction. At the time, it was a sign of progressive thinking as the eastern European country, which only regained independence in 1991, looked out to the world.

Ukrainian giants Shakhtar flew the flag for their country in Europe as the Donbass Arena regularly hosted Champions League matches. Manchester United faced Shakhtar there in October 2013 in the competition, with the sides drawing 1-1.

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

Arsenal also played there, suffering a 2-1 defeat three years earlier in the group stage. The stadium also hosted five games at Euro 2012, including England’s draw with France, and Spain’s penalty shootout victory over Portugal in the semi-finals.

However, it was only in use for five years, being abandoned in 2014 and not used since. The UEFA Category 4 ground was shelled after the Donbas war broke out between Ukraine and Russia in 2014.

READ MORE: Incredible stadium bigger than Wembley half-finished and abandoned after cash problemsREAD MORE: Eerie Six Nations stadium left abandoned as images show 30,000-seater venue in tatters

Shakhtar’s last game there was in 2014, a 3-1 over Illichivets Mariupol that secured a fifth straight league title, but barely 18,000 people turned up as the city braced for war.

Later that year, it sustained serious damage from the turnstiles and entrances as a result of heavy artillery and explosions as the conflict escalated. A shell initially crashed into the arena, starting a fire. A rocket also later landed in the vicinity of the stadium.

Pictures from the time show the stadium with part of its roof and facade blown off and various pieces of debris strewn across the floor outside.

“It was pretty costly to repair the roof after the blast pulled it off,” Victoria, a stadium guide, told the BBC in 2019. “The job needs finishing, and that takes money the DPR don’t have.”

The escalation of conflict in the region forced Shakhtar to leave their modern marvel of a stadium and instead play their fixtures in western Ukraine, at Arena Lviv. And despite later images suggesting the stadium had been fully repaired, Shakhtar didn’t return to the region.

Russia then launched a full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. As such, it is unclear whether the stadium will ever be used again, having been further damaged in recent attacks.

Since the outbreak of the long and bloody war, Shakhtar has continued to play its fixtures in Lviv, at the national stadium in Kyiv, and even abroad in countries like Poland and Germany, for security reasons.

The Donbass Arena once represented the future and brought joy to thousands, even hosting a Beyonce concert. But it is now a harrowing reminder of the impact of geopolitical chaos, demonstrating how war can bleed into and tarnish the beautiful game.