Arsenal and Manchester City will face off on Sunday, August 16, in the 2026 FA Community Shield, with the fixture serving as the traditional curtain-raiser for the new Premier League season.
The encounter pits Premier League champions Arsenal against Manchester City, who secured the FA Cup after defeating Chelsea in May.
The Community Shield, first contested in 1908, is traditionally played between the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners.
If a club wins both competitions, the league runners-up take the other spot.
Crystal Palace are the current holders of the trophy after beating Liverpool 3-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in last year’s edition.
Arsenal, City renew rivalry
Sunday’s clash will be the first meeting between the two sides since April, when Manchester City recorded a 2-1 Premier League victory over Arsenal.
The clubs also faced each other in the 2026 EFL Cup final, with City emerging 2-0 winners after Nico O’Reilly scored twice in the second half.
Their last Community Shield encounter came in 2023, when Arsenal triumphed 4-1 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time.
What is at stake?
The winners will lift the first major domestic trophy of the 2026/27 campaign.
Unlike a conventional cup, the Community Shield trophy is a shield carrying individually engraved plates featuring the names of previous winners and the years they claimed the title.
However, winning the Community Shield has not always been an indication of Premier League success.
According to the Premier League, only one club in the last 16 years has won both the Community Shield and Premier League title in the same season, with Manchester City achieving the feat in 2018/19.
Since the Premier League era began in 1992, the Community Shield-Premier League double has been achieved eight times.
Manchester United account for four of those successes, in 1993/94, 1996/97, 2007/08 and 2010/11.
Chelsea achieved it in 2005/06 and 2009/10, while City completed the double in 2018/19.
Interestingly, the losing side in the Community Shield has gone on to win the Premier League more frequently than the winner since 1992.
The Premier League records 10 such instances for losing teams, compared with eight for winners.
