In front of Shaktar Donetsk Stadium

The most popular sport in Donetsk is football. Donetsk is the home to three major professional football clubs: Shakhtar Donetsk, which plays at the Donbass Arena (previously at the Shakhtar Stadium and the RSC Olimpiyskiy), Metalurh Donetsk, which plays at the Metalurh Stadium, and FC Olimpik Donetsk. All three play in the Ukraine Premier League. Shakhtar Donetsk won the Ukrainian Championship and Ukrainian Cup multiple times, and in 2009 they became the second team from Ukraine (after FC Dynamo Kyiv) to win a European competition, the UEFA Cup. Donetsk is also home to the women's football club WFC Donchanka, one of the most successful clubs in the history of the Ukrainian Women's League.

Donetsk is home to the football stadium Donbass Arena, which was opened in 2009. It became the first stadium in Eastern Europe designed and constructed according to the UEFA standards for stadiums of "Elite" category. When the joint bid for the UEFA Euro 2012 was won by Poland and Ukraine, Donetsk's Donbass Arena was chosen as the location for three Group D matches, one quarter-final match, and one semi-final match. The RSK Olimpiyskyi Stadium was chosen as a reserve stadium.