Arsenal and Manchester City will meet in the Community Shield on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, marking the first time since 2006 that the match is not held at Wembley Stadium.
The Gunners qualified by winning the Premier League title, while City earned their place by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. This fixture also sees Enzo Maresca return to the dugout as Manchester City head coach, replacing Pep Guardiola, seven months after his sudden exit from Chelsea. Mikel Arteta, with more Community Shield experience, led Arsenal to penalty shootout victories over Liverpool in 2022 and City in 2023.
Why the venue change?
The 2026 Community Shield is not at Wembley because the start of the Premier League season has been delayed by one week, partly due to an extended 2026 World Cup. This shift means Wembley is unavailable on the weekend of August 15-16 due to pre-planned concerts by Canadian pop star The Weeknd, who has booked five nights at the stadium from August 14 to 19 for his After Hours Til Dawn Tour.
Kick-off is confirmed for 3pm BST on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the 73,931-capacity Principality Stadium, which previously hosted five Community Shields between 2001 and 2006 as the Millennium Stadium, two of which were won by Arsenal. A statement from the Football Association said: “Due to alterations to the 2026-27 football calendar, next season’s Premier League will begin over the weekend of Saturday 22 August, and Wembley Stadium connected by EE is unavailable on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August due to pre-planned concerts.”
