Northern Ireland’s Nations League fixture against Ukraine on Friday, 2 October will be played at the Anton Malatinsky Stadium in Trnava, Slovakia, rather than in Ukraine. The venue is the latest stop on a lengthy list of neutral locations Ukraine have used for home matches since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Since then, Ukraine have played their home matches outside the country, with the Czech Republic, Poland, Spain and Germany among the countries that have hosted them. The Anton Malatinsky Stadium is already familiar: it staged Ukraine’s 1-0 win over Malta in June 2023, a qualifier for the 2024 European Championships.
Uefa allows Ukraine to host matches wherever they choose, provided the selected stadium meets its regulations. That arrangement explains why Northern Ireland will meet Ukraine in Slovakia, with Trnava serving as the venue for the fixture.
The Northern Ireland game is the third of Ukraine’s four matches during this international break. Ukraine won 1-0 in Hungary on Friday and play in Georgia on Monday. After the Northern Ireland match, they will host Hungary in Trnava. In November’s international fixtures, Ukraine will also host Georgia in Trnava.
Ukraine’s clubs have also had to adapt. This season, defending Ukrainian top-flight champions Shakhtar Donetsk will play their home Champions League matches at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, continuing the pattern of Ukrainian football being staged outside the country.