Community Shield: Date and kick off time confirmed for Arsenal vs Man City

With a fortnight to go until Premier League fixture release date, newly-crowned Premier League champions Arsenal have learnt their first competitive fixture of 2026/27. Mikel Arteta's team will face FA Cup winners Manchester City, in a rematch of the EFL Cup Final, in August's FA Community Shield.

The FA confirmed on Thursday that the fixture will take place on 16 August, with a 3pm kick off (BST). The match will be live on TNT Sports 1 and Ultimate as well as HBO Max in the UK while, in the USA, ESPN Select have the rights. However, it is the choice of venue that has garnered the most attention.

The traditional curtain raiser usually takes place at Wembley. However, that will not be the case this year, with England's national stadium already booked by The Weeknd for five nights, as part of his After Hours til Dawn Tour. The FA blame the Premier League for commencing one week later than expected due to the expanded World Cup.

Instead, the Community Shield will shift to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the venue that hosted six editions previously, between 2001 and 2006, during Wembley's renovation. During the Cardiff years, Arsène Wenger's team contested four Community Shields, winning two of them, also picking up three FA Cups in South Wales.

The Gunners have won 17 Community Shields in total, second only to Manchester United, claiming victory from each of the last five they have contested.

Arsenal's last five Community Shield appearances

• 2014: Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City - Cazorla 21', Ramsey 42' & Giroud 60'.

• 2015: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea - Oxlade-Chamberlain 24'.

• 2017: Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea - Kolašinac 82'. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties.

• 2020: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool. Aubameyang 12'. Arsenal won 5-4 on penalties.

• 2023: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City. Trossard 90+11'. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties.

Six of the last nine Community Shields, including each of the last three, have all be decided by penalty shootouts. On a similar theme, Arsenal's last three appearances in the fixture have all ended 1-1, with the Gunners prevailing in a spot-kick competitions against Chelsea, Liverpool during lockdown and Manchester City three years ago.

This though will be the first time the Gunners have qualified as Premier League champions for 22 years. Back then, they swatted aside Manchester United 3-1 in Cardiff, with Gilberto Silva and José Antonio Reyes on target, before a late own goal by Mikaël Silvestre.

Should Arteta's team claim victory at the Millennium Stadium in August, they'll be seeking to avoid the Community Shield curse. Since 2019, no side to hoist the shield aloft has gone on to win the Premier League the following year.

Community Shield winners since 2019

Manchester City in 2018/19 are the last side to pick up the Community Shield and then the Premier League title nine months later, part of their domestic clean sweep along-with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. Well, having finally got over the line in the league and reached a Champions League Final, Gooners are hoping August's visit to South Wales will be the start of another historic campaign.

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