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The start of Arsenal's competitive season is almost upon us. The newly-crowned Premier League champions will take on old foes Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on Sunday. This year's edition will be staged at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Wembley having already been booked by the the Weeknd, as part of his After Hours til Dawn Tour. So, what is at stake in the Welsh capital?
How much prize money would Arsenal get for winning the Community Shield?
Unlike other competitions, neither side competing in the FA Community Shield receives any prize money specifically for taking part.
Where does the Community Shield money go?
All money raised from ticket sales, sponsorship, television revenue and other income sources supports the football family and is "distributed to community-based initiatives and charities". Up until the 2002 edition, in which Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0, Gilberto Silva the only scorer also in Cardiff, the fixture was known as the Charity Shield.
However, the FA was forced to change the name because the Charity Commission ruled that they were not specifying how much money was actually going to charity. The FA does though chose a different charity each year to support, alongside their official charity partner Alzheimer's Society.
How the Community Shield helps the football pyramid
As well as supporting charities, as already documented, the FA's revenue is distributed among clubs across all levels of English football. Each club competing in the FA Cup, which is 743 in total this year, will receive a share of revenue from FA competitions. A few thousands pounds may not be much to Arsenal, but can be invaluable to small non-league clubs. The FA also support initiative programs including grassroots and disability football programs.
How Community Shield prize money differs from other competitions
The Community Shield is pretty unique in not offering a sizeable chunk of prize money to competing teams. By winning the Premier League title and reaching the Champions League Final, the Gunners accumulated more prize money than ever before last season. So, how much is up for grabs in other competitions?
Major club competition prize money
Competition | Matches played | Final victory prize money | Total prize money for winners |
|---|---|---|---|
Premier League | 38 | N/A | £198.7 million |
Champions League | 15 (minimum) | €25 million | Up to €150 million |
FA Cup | 6 | £2.12 million | £4.144 million |
EFL Cup | 6 | £100,000 | £175,000 |
UEFA Super Cup | 1 | €5 million | €5 million |
FIFA Intercontinental Cup | 1 | $5 million | $5 million |
FIFA Club World Cup | 7 | $40 million | $115 million |
Even playing in these one-off Super Cup matches is usually very lucrative. Governing bodies such as FIFA and UEFA feel they have to be, to incentivise clubs to take part. Had Arsenal won the Champions League, they would have been in Salzburg earlier this week to face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup. The winners of that one-off match earn €5 million, with the losers pocketing just €1 million less.
Meantime, PSG, the side who broke Arsenal hearts in Budapest, are also scheduled to take part in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. For winning last year's edition, playing just one match, in which they beat Flamengo on penalties, the Ligue 1 side pocketed another $5 million. FIFA's prize pot for last year's Club World Cup, the Mickey Mouse pre-season tournament Chelsea fans have to pretend is a big deal, was absolutely eye-watering, because otherwise no one relevant would have turned out.
Why are Arsenal playing Man City in the Community Shield?
Arsenal are involved in Sunday's FA Community Shield because, in case you needed reminding, Mikel Arteta's team are Premier League champions. Manchester City are their opponents after Antoine Semenyo's late winner saw them beat Chelsea in May's FA Cup Final at Wembley.
This is a rematch of the 2023 edition. That afternoon, Leandro Trossard's equaliser in the 11th minute of injury time forced a penalty shootout. Thereafter, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri both failed to convert, before Fábio Vieira's inch-perfect spot kick secured the shield for the Gunners.
What winning the Community Shield could mean for Arsenal
If Arsenal are victorious on Sunday, Gooners may fear the Community Shield curse. None of the last seven Community Shield winners have gone on to lift the Premier League trophy the following May, dating back to Pep Guardiola's Man City in 2018/19.
Arsenal though have won each of the last five Community Shields they have contested, most-recently defeated in one also at the Millennium Stadium by Chelsea in 2005. In fact, since 1993, the Gunners have featured in 11 Charity Shields and won nine of them.
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