The first trophy of the 2026-27 English football season is up for grabs at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Sunday, when Premier League holders Arsenal and FA Cup champions Manchester City renew hostilities in the 2026 Community Shield.
The curtain-raiser is a repeat of the 2023 English Super Cup, in which Mikel Arteta got one over Pep Guardiola on penalties, but the student is no longer facing the master.
Twice Arsenal have won a trophy thanks to a Vieira penalty; Fabio Vieira converted the crucial spot kick against Man City in the 2023 Community Shield, 18 years after Patrick Vieira clinched the FA Cup for the Gunners at Manchester United’s expense in Cardiff.
A return to the Millennium Stadium could therefore hardly be more appropriate for Arsenal, who have also demonstrated their penalty prowess throughout pre-season, albeit without a similarly standout 90 minutes beforehand.
After a behind-closed-doors success over MK Dons, Arteta’s men won just one of their four official summer friendlies and failed to triumph in any of their closing three, although Borussia Dortmund and Como were both bettered on spot kicks after denying Arsenal victory at the Emirates Stadium.
Coincidentally, both of Arsenal’s Community Shield victories in the current decade were sealed from 12 yards – Arteta’s men bested then-Premier League champions Liverpool at an empty Wembley in 2020 – and the Gunners are searching for title number 18 in this one-off event.
Only Manchester United (21) have won more Community Shields than Arsenal since the competition’s inception, but the Gunners can match the Red Devils for outright victories; Man Utd’s 21 triumphs are made up of 17 outright wins and four shared successes, while Arsenal have only split the silverware in one of their 17 previous…
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