Northern Ireland's Nations League trip to face Ukraine on Friday 2 October will take them to Trnava, in western Slovakia. The fixture is listed as a Ukraine home game. It is being played at the Anton Malatinsky Stadium because Ukraine have not been able to stage one on their own soil for more than four years.
Since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, the national team has taken its home matches abroad. Venues in the Czech Republic, Poland, Spain and Germany have all been used at various points, and Trnava is now one of the regular stops.
Why this ground
Uefa allows Ukraine to choose where they host, provided the stadium satisfies its regulations. Trnava has been through the process before, hosting Ukraine's 1-0 win over Malta in June 2023 during qualifying for the 2024 European Championship, so the arrangements are already familiar to everyone involved.
It has also become something close to a base rather than a one-off. After Northern Ireland, Ukraine host Hungary in Trnava, and when Georgia visit in November's international window that match will be staged there too.
A punishing schedule
The Northern Ireland game is the third of four matches Ukraine play in this international break. They won 1-0 in Hungary on Friday, travel to Georgia on Monday, meet Michael O'Neill's side on the Friday, and then face Hungary again in Trnava. Four fixtures in one window is unusual, and every one of them involves travel.
For Northern Ireland the practical effect is straightforward: an away trip with none of the atmosphere an away trip usually brings, against opponents who will have been living out of hotels for a fortnight by the time the whistle goes.
The club game has the same problem
Ukrainian clubs have been improvising in exactly the same way. Shakhtar Donetsk, the defending champions, will play their Champions League home matches this season at Stamford Bridge. Playing outside Ukraine has been routine for the country's clubs for several years now.
None of it is ideal, and none of it is likely to change soon. What Trnava offers is a stadium that meets the standard and a location Ukraine's staff already know, which under the circumstances counts for a good deal.
Fixture facts: Ukraine v Northern Ireland, Uefa Nations League, Anton Malatinsky Stadium, Trnava, Slovakia, Friday 2 October. Ukraine have played home fixtures outside the country since February 2022. The same ground hosted their 1-0 win over Malta in June 2023 and will stage their matches against Hungary and, in November, Georgia.
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