The new English football season gets its traditional opener this afternoon, as Arsenal and Manchester City meet in the Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Kick-off is at 15:00 BST.
Arsenal go in as reigning Premier League champions after finally ending a 22-year title wait last season. City qualify as FA Cup holders, having beaten Chelsea 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Antoine Semenyo, a result that gave Pep Guardiola one last piece of silverware before stepping down.
There’s a personal subplot to the fixture too. Enzo Maresca takes charge of City for the first time in a competitive match, having replaced his old mentor Guardiola over the summer. Mikel Arteta sits in the opposite dugout, having served his own coaching apprenticeship under Guardiola before leaving for Arsenal back in 2019.
How to watch?
Coverage in the UK runs on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max, with the match also available through TNT’s presence on Amazon Prime Video and Now TV. A subscription to one of those services is required to tune in.
Why isn’t it free-to-air?
It hasn’t been since 2024, when ITV last held the rights. TNT Sports has carried the fixture exclusively ever since.
Why isn’t it at Wembley?
Simple scheduling. Wembley is hosting a run of concerts by The Weeknd across the same weekend, running from 14 to 19 August, which forced the FA to find an alternative venue. Cardiff’s Principality Stadium picked up the fixture instead, its first Community Shield since 2006, having previously staged the match regularly while Wembley was being rebuilt in the early 2000s.
Read more – Arteta pays moving tribute to Guardiola ahead of Community Shield
Also see – What Community Shield history says about title races
Follow Footy Times on Social Media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Discover more from Footy Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.