The Community Shield must mark the end of The FA’s Wembley obsession

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 27: Fans arrive outside the stadium prior to the international friendly match between England and Uruguay at Wembley Stadium on March 27, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson - The FA/The FA via Getty Images).

For the first time in 20 years, the Community Shield is taking place outside England.

Arsenal and Manchester City will contest the domestic football season’s curtain-raiser at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 16 August owing to a change in its recent traditions. Since its 2007 reopening, the Community Shield has been held almost exclusively at Wembley with the showpiece previously only relocated twice by scheduling conflicts around the 2012 Olympics and Women’s Euro final in 2022.