Advertisement
FA Community Shield: Road closure, traffic notice issued to Arsenal and Man City fans
15th August, 2026 02:59 PM
The Football Association (FA) has issued an important supporter update for Arsenal and Manchester City fans planning to attend the 2026 FA Community Shield.
This year’s season curtain-raiser will feature a historic venue change: for the first time in 20 years, the fixture moves away from Wembley Stadium and returns to the iconic Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The match is officially scheduled for Sunday, August 16, 2026.
Reason for the relocation?
Wembley Stadium is unavailable due to pre-planned summer music concerts. As a result, the FA selected the 74,000-seat, retractable-roof venue in Cardiff, which previously hosted six Community Shield matches between 2001 and 2006 during Wembley’s initial redevelopment.
To help traveling fans navigate precisely to the stadium, organisers have highlighted exact location points and important matchday rules to observe such as on:
Travel Ahead: With cross-border travel expected from London and Manchester into South Wales, fans are urged to book transport early and allow extra journey time due to city-centre road closures around Cardiff Central Station.
Bag Policies & Turnstiles: Supporters must adhere to strict stadium bag size restrictions and arrive early to clear security checks smoothly before kickoff.
Ticketing & Segregation: Tickets will be distributed strictly through official club allocations for Arsenal and Manchester City, with neutral areas strictly enforced by stadium stewards.
Match preview
Arsenal head into the contest with a strong recent record in the Community Shield. The Gunners have lifted the trophy 17 times, although only Manchester United have collected more titles in the competition.
Arsenal’s recent success in the fixture has been closely linked to penalty shootouts. They defeated Liverpool on penalties in 2020 before producing another shootout victory over Manchester City three years later.
Their preparations for the new campaign have, however, been mixed with the Gunners ending without winning any of their final three matches.
They drew with Como before eventually progressing on penalties, while Borussia Dortmund also failed to beat them during normal time before Arsenal prevailed from the spot.
Manchester City have won the Community Shield seven times, with three of those successes arriving during Guardiola’s tenure. Their most recent triumph came in 2024, when they defeated Manchester United in a penalty shootout.
City qualified for this year’s contest after winning the FA Cup final against Chelsea. New manager Enzo Maresca has enjoyed an unbeaten pre-season in normal time, although his team suffered a shootout defeat against Inter Milan after a 1-1 draw.
Team news
Arsenal will have to cope without two important defenders. Jurrien Timber remains sidelined with a groin problem, while William Saliba is expected to spend considerably longer recovering from a back injury.
The rest of Arteta’s squad is available, including players who represented England and Spain at the World Cup.
Erling Haaland is back at Manchester City after taking part in training, but could be restricted to a substitute appearance after missing the entire pre-season program.
Meanwhile, Savinho was absent from training due to illness while Tijjani Reijnders could also miss the match, as he reportedly edges closer to a move to the Saudi Pro League
