Arsenal and Manchester City meet in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, August 16, 2026, with kick-off at 3pm BST. The match is the traditional curtain-raiser between the Premier League champions and FA Cup holders.
Arsenal are playing in the Community Shield for the first time as Premier League champions in 22 years, having topped the table last season ahead of Man City. Man City have featured in six of the last eight Community Shield showdowns, but this is their first in a decade without Pep Guardiola, who stepped down in May and has been replaced by Enzo Maresca. Maresca will renew his rivalry with Mikel Arteta on the touchline.
Where to watch and venue details
The match is not at Wembley this year because Canadian pop star The Weeknd has booked five nights at the stadium between August 14 and 19 for his After Hours Til Dawn Tour. In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports, with coverage starting at 2pm on TNT Sports 1. Sky Sports/TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the HBO Max app and website. Standard Sport’s live blog will have expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Team news and predicted lineups
Bruno Guimaraes is in line to make his competitive Arsenal debut after featuring as a substitute in the final pre-season friendly against Como on Wednesday evening. Arteta has a decision to make in defence with William Saliba and Jurrien Timber sidelined through injury. Cristhian Mosquera is favourite to partner Gabriel at centre-back, but youngster Marli Salmon has impressed in pre-season. Myles Lewis-Skelly is poised to start in midfield, likely alongside captain Martin Odegaard as Kai Havertz moves into a more familiar centre-forward role. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka could be involved in the matchday squad but are unlikely to start, having not played a single minute of pre-season due to their World Cup exploits.
Man City are set to be without Rodri for the game. The Spaniard has been linked with a move to Barcelona and is still recovering from back surgery, which will delay his start to the season. Erling Haaland was back in training on Thursday after an extended post-World Cup break, so is unlikely to lead the line in Cardiff. Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush should all be raring to go. New signing Elliot Anderson is pushing to make the matchday squad after joining up with the squad late.
Prediction, head-to-head and odds
Neither Arsenal nor Man City have been at full strength during pre-season, so this is shaping up to be a close game. A penalty shootout cannot be ruled out, especially as four of the last six Community Shield matches have been settled in this fashion, including the last time these two teams met in this competition. However, with Man City looking a little bit sharper than the Gunners, Maresca will get this reign off to a winning start. Prediction: Man City to win, 2-0.
Arsenal and Man City have previously met twice in the Community Shield, with the Gunners emerging victorious on both occasions. Overall head-to-head: Arsenal wins 101, Man City wins 67, draws 48. Odds via UK betting sites: Arsenal to lift trophy 20/23, Man City to lift trophy 9/10 (subject to change).
