Arsenal To Face Man City in 2026 Community Shield

The fixture will act as the traditional curtain-raiser for the 2026/27 season and will bring together two sides who have again been central to the domestic picture.

City’s FA Cup success means they have already secured a place in the Community Shield. If they also finish the season as Premier League champions, Arsenal would qualify as league runners-up. If Arsenal win the title, the fixture would instead be contested as Premier League champions against FA Cup winners.

Either way, the outcome is the same: Arsenal and Manchester City will meet in Cardiff before the new campaign begins, continuing what has become one of English football’s defining rivalries of recent years.

The match will not be held at Wembley, with the FA confirming earlier this year that the 2026 Community Shield would be staged at the Principality Stadium because Wembley is unavailable on August 15 and 16 due to pre-planned concerts. The Premier League season will then begin the following weekend, on Saturday, August 22.

It will be the first time the Community Shield has been played in Cardiff for 20 years. The Principality Stadium, then known as the Millennium Stadium, previously hosted the fixture six times between 2001 and 2006 while Wembley was being redeveloped.

Arsenal were involved in four of those matches, winning twice. They beat Liverpool 1-0 in 2002 before defeating Manchester United 3-1 in 2004. The Gunners also lost on penalties to United in 2003 after a 1-1 draw, and were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea in 2005.

For Arsenal, the game will provide an early measure ahead of the new campaign. Mikel Arteta’s side have spent recent seasons competing directly with City at the top end of the Premier League, and another meeting with Pep Guardiola’s team will carry plenty of interest even before the league season begins.

The fixture will also offer Arsenal the chance to claim early silverware before the serious business of the 2026/27 campaign gets underway.