Liam Duckstein
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Arsenal and Manchester City meet at the Principality Stadium on Sunday 16 August 2026, with kick-off at 15:00 BST (14:00 UTC). The two sides contest the Community Shield Final, the traditional curtain-raiser to the English football season, with Arsenal qualifying as 2025/26 Premier League champions and City as FA Cup winners. The game is being staged in Cardiff — the first time the Shield has left England since 2006 — because Wembley is unavailable, and it will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 with Sam Barrott refereeing. Both squads are still short of full sharpness after a summer World Cup. Arsenal are without two first-choice defenders and are expected to rest several late-returning internationals, while Manchester City begin a new era under Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer, and have their own doubt over Rodri.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup
Arsenal head into the final without William Saliba and Jurriën Timber, both long-term absentees. Saliba aggravated a back problem during France’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain and has been ruled out for an extended period without surgery; Timber withdrew from the Netherlands squad to complete his recovery from a groin injury and has no confirmed return date. Their absence forces Mikel Arteta to reorganise the backline, with Gabriel taking on added responsibility at centre-back alongside either Cristhian Mosquera or Piero Hincapié, who completed a permanent move from Bayer Leverkusen in June.
The bigger selection question is fitness. FIFA’s mandatory three-week post-tournament rest period means Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino only returned to training in the week before the final, and Rice and Saka in particular are not expected to start. That opens the door for youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman, both of whom impressed in pre-season, and for £75m signing Bruno Guimarães, who made his first appearance off the bench in the 1-1 friendly draw with Como.
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Kepa Arrizabalaga |
| RB | Ben White |
| CB | Cristhian Mosquera |
| CB | Gabriel |
| LB | Piero Hincapié |
| CM | Bruno Guimarães |
| CM | Martin Ødegaard |
| CM | Myles Lewis-Skelly |
| RW | Ethan Nwaneri |
| ST | Viktor Gyökeres |
| LW | Gabriel Martinelli |
- Will not play: William Saliba (back), Jurriën Timber (groin)
- Doubtful / likely rested: Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino (late World Cup returns)
Manchester City Predicted Lineup
Manchester City go into this fixture in better shape, but not with a completely clean bill of health. Rodri underwent minor back surgery after captaining Spain to the World Cup title and was only due back at the club on 14 August, two days before the final, with a move to Barcelona still unresolved. Jack Grealish has been training individually after missing the pre-season tour of Asia.
Otherwise Maresca has close to a full squad. Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku, Elliot Anderson, Marc Guéhi, Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Cherki all rejoined training in the week of the final following extended post-World Cup breaks. City also confirmed new squad numbers ahead of the campaign: club-record £116m signing Elliot Anderson takes the No.5 vacated by John Stones, Marc Guéhi moves to No.6, Gianluigi Donnarumma inherits the No.1 shirt from the departed James Trafford, and new goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli takes No.28.
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Gianluigi Donnarumma |
| RB | Matheus Nunes |
| CB | Rúben Dias |
| CB | Marc Guéhi |
| LB | Joško Gvardiol |
| CM | Elliot Anderson |
| CM | Mateo Kovačić |
| RW | Antoine Semenyo |
| AM | Rayan Cherki |
| LW | Jérémy Doku |
| ST | Erling Haaland |
- Doubtful: Rodri (back surgery, returned to training 14 August), Jack Grealish (fitness)
Key Storylines
This is Maresca’s first competitive domestic match since replacing Guardiola, and City’s squad may look different again before the window shuts, with Savinho and Tijjani Reijnders both linked with exits alongside the ongoing Rodri saga.
For Arsenal, it is a first chance at silverware since ending their 22-year league title wait, and Viktor Gyökeres has publicly rejected the idea that the Shield is a glorified friendly. History suggests a tight afternoon: the two sides drew 1-1 in the 2023 Community Shield before Arsenal won on penalties, and six of the last ten editions have gone to a shootout. City hold the recent head-to-head advantage, having beaten Arsenal 2-0 in the March 2026 EFL Cup final and 2-1 at the Etihad in April.
Both clubs then open their Premier League campaigns the following weekend, with Arsenal hosting Coventry City on 21 August.