Community Shield Moves to New Venue as Wembley Hosts Concert
The FA has moved the 2026 Community Shield to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. The switch comes after Wembley became unavailable because of concerts in mid-August.
Why the game moved
Wembley is hosting a series of concerts between 14 and 19 August. The Weeknd will play five dates at the national stadium during that period. The FA confirmed Wembley was unavailable on 15 and 16 August because of those pre-planned events.
The Community Shield between the Premier League winners and FA Cup holders was scheduled for Sunday 16 August. Organisers therefore shifted the fixture to Cardiff to avoid a clash.
Venue details and dates
Principality Stadium will stage the match on 16 August 2026. The venue holds 74,500 spectators. The season’s curtain-raiser arrives a week before the Premier League starts on the weekend of 22 August.
History in Cardiff
Principality hosted the curtain-raiser for six seasons from 2001 to 2006. Liverpool won the last Community Shield held there in 2006. During that run, Liverpool and Arsenal each lifted two titles.
Manchester United and Chelsea also claimed the trophy in Cardiff, in 2003 and 2005 respectively. The move brings the Shield back to a stadium that previously filled this role.
Local reaction
Gavin Marshall, Welsh Rugby Union chief financial and operating officer, welcomed the return. He described hosting the match again as a proud moment. He pledged that supporters of both clubs would get an outstanding experience.
Wider context
Since returning to Wembley in 2007, the Community Shield has been relocated twice. It moved to Villa Park in 2012 because of the Olympics. It was hosted at the King Power Stadium in 2022 while Wembley staged the Women’s European Championship final, won by the Lionesses.
Principality Stadium is also scheduled to host the opening match of Euro 2028. That tournament will be co-hosted by England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The decision has been summarised under the headline Community Shield Moves to New Venue as Wembley Hosts Concert. Fans can now plan travel to Cardiff for the curtain-raiser on 16 August.
