Community Shield: Why is Arsenal vs Man City not being played at Wembley Stadium? | OneFootball

England’s version of the Super Cup will not be taking place at its traditional home this year

Arsenal and Manchester City will raise the curtain for the new Premier League season when they meet in the Community Shield next month.

The Gunners booked their ticket by virtue of claiming a first Premier League title win in over two decades, while Man City are back in this fixture having beaten Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

This showdown will also mark Enzo Maresca’s official return to the dugout after replacing Pep Guardiola as Man City head coach, seven months on from his sudden exit at Stamford Bridge.

His opposite number, Mikel Arteta, has far more experience in Community Shield fixtures, leading Arsenal to victory on penalties over Liverpool and City in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

However, the 2026 edition of the Community Shield will not be played at its traditional home at Wembley Stadium.

Why is Arsenal vs Man City not taking place at Wembley?

As the start of the next Premier League season has been delayed by one week, due in part to an extended 2026 World Cup, the dates no longer align for Wembley to host the Community Shield.

Canadian pop star The Weeknd has booked five nights at Wembley, between August 14 and 19 for his After Hours Til Dawn Tour.

As such, this means the game will be played at The Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales.

Kick-off has been confirmed for 3pm BST on Sunday, August 16, 2026.

New venue: The Principality Stadium

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A statement from the Football Association confirmed: “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.”

Wembley Stadium currently has no events booked for the weekend prior, when the Community Shield would normally be held.

The 73,931-capacity Principality Stadium - when it was known as the Millennium Stadium - hosted five Community Shields on the spin between 2001 and 2006, two of which were won by Arsenal.