FC Shakhtar Donetsk

Names and etymology

The team has played under the following names: Stakhanovets (1936–46), Shakhtyor (Shakhtar) (1946–92), and FC Shakhtar (1992–present). It has a meaningful association with the Donets Basin underground coal-mining using vertical mining shafts, called Schacht in German. This was taken over into Cyrillic Шахтн, end re-transcribed into Latin letters as, for example, shakt in English use. As part of the so-called Stalin industrialisation and Stakhanovite movement, in 1936 the local football teams of Dynamo sports societies of Horlivka and Stalino (today Donetsk) established a joint team that represented the mining volunteer sports society Stakhanovets (later Shakhter). The team was transferred from the sports society for the NKVD to a trade union "volunteered sports society" (DSO). Following the World War II, the DSO Stakhanovets changed its name to DSO Shakhter which in the Ukrainian SSR had its local corresponding nomenclature as DSS Shakhtar. The word "Shakhter" or "Shakhtar" means a coal miner working at a sub-surface mine, shafted mine, shakhta is a derivative of shaft. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union (1989–1992), the Donetsk club was reorganized and commercialized as a professional football team. It also made its Ukrainian name as its only name, Шахтар Донецьк, with Shakhtar Donetsk in English, Schachtar Donezk in German and Szachtar Donieck in Polish, the latter two being languages of countries that hosted international "home" games…

Soviet Union

Ukraine

Shakhtar Donetsk has participated in European competition since 1976, playing its first game against Berliner FC Dynamo in the UEFA Cup. Since 1997, the club has participated in UEFA competition annually with variable amounts of success, and first took part in the UEFA Champions League competition in 2000. Shakhtar Donetsk played against Arsenal, Lazio and Sparta Prague upon qualifying for the group stage for the first time in 2000–01.

Ukrainian competitions

Ukrainian Premier League Winners (16): 2001–02, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26 runner-up (13): 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2020–21 Ukrainian Cup Winners (15, record): 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2023–24, 2024–25 runner-up (6): 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2014–15 Ukrainian Super Cup Winners (9, record): 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021 runner-up (8): 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020

European competitions

UEFA Cup Winners (1): 2008–09 UEFA Super Cup runner-up (1): 2009

Soviet competitions

Soviet Top League runner-up (2): 1975, 1979 Soviet Cup Winners (4): 1961, 1962, 1980, 1983 runner-up (4): 1963, 1978, 1985, 1986 Soviet First League Winners (1): 1954 runner-up (1): 1972 Season's Cup (unofficial tournament as Super Cup) Winners (1): 1984 runner-up (2): 1981,1986 Cup of the Ukrainian SSR runner-up (1): 1972

Invitational

IFA Shield (IFA) : Runners-up (1985)

UEFA club coefficient ranking

As of 31 December 2025

UEFA Rankings since 2004

As of 31 December 2025

Football Club Elo ranking

As of 16 August 2026

Friendly competitions

Channel One Cup: 2006 La Manga Cup:…