The Football Association has confirmed that the Community Shield between the FA Cup and Premier League winners will be held away from their traditional home base.
Wembley Stadium will not host the Community Shield this summer (Image: Leicester City FC, Getty Images)
The Community Shield will be held at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in August due to scheduling conflicts at Wembley. The FA has announced that the opening game of the season will be played in Wales for the first time in 20 years.
Formerly known as the Millennium Stadium, the venue hosted the Community Shield (formerly known as the Charity Shield) from 2001 to 2006. Since then, the match has been played at both Villa Park and Leicester’s King Power Stadium, but primarily at Wembley.
However, scheduling conflicts left the FA with no choice but to look elsewhere for a neutral venue. The Weeknd will be holding five consecutive nights of concerts at Wembley from August 14th to 19th.
The Community Shield is traditionally held just before the start of the Premier League season in August. This year, it will be held at the Principality Stadium on August 16th, ahead of the 2026/27 season, which starts on August 22nd.
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A statement from the FA said: “The Welsh National Stadium has a rich history of hosting major football events, including the FA Community Shield six times between 2001 and 2006, providing a neutral venue for competing clubs and one of the largest capacities in the UK for fans to attend.”
“Details of the 2026 FA Community Shield, in which the winners of the Emirates FA Cup will face the Premier League champions, will be announced at the earliest possible opportunity after the end of the 2025-26 football season.”
As the world of soccer focuses on the United States, Mexico and Canada for this summer’s World Cup, Wembley is cashing in on concerts, with Harry Styles performing for 12 nights and The Weeknd for five days after the football season, as well as live performances from My Chemical Romance, Bruno Mars and Bon Jovi.
Principality Stadium will host Community Shield (Image: PA)
FA Cup holders Crystal Palace won the last Community Shield on August 10, defeating Liverpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Wembley.
Arsenal, who are currently favorites to win the Premier League and are nine points behind leaders Manchester City, could face Cardiff in August. The Gunners are also one of eight teams left in the FA Cup, along with City, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham, Leeds, Southampton and Port Vale.
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