2026 Community Shield Moves to Cardiff Due to Tour Conflict

The 2026 FA Community Shield, featuring Arsenal and Manchester City, is scheduled for Sunday, August 16, at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, marking the first time in 20 years that the match will be held outside Wembley Stadium. The Premier League announced this venue change due to The Weeknd's "After Hours Til Dawn" tour occurring at Wembley on the same day.

This will be only the third Community Shield played away from Wembley since its reopening in 2007. Historically, the Community Shield has been held at Wembley since 1974, with exceptions made during periods when the stadium was unavailable.

From 2001 to 2006, the match was hosted at Cardiff's Principality Stadium while Wembley was under construction. Other notable exceptions include the 2012 match at Villa Park due to the London Olympics and the 2022 match at King Power Stadium because of the Women's European Championship final.

The 2026 edition signifies a significant departure from the recent tradition of hosting the match at Wembley.