Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, 16 August 2026 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with kick-off set for 3pm BST. The fixture marks the traditional curtain-raiser to the Premier League season and represents a landmark moment for City, who take to the pitch for the first competitive match under new head coach Enzo Maresca following Pep Guardiola's departure.
According to a national broadcaster's report, the match has been relocated away from its usual Wembley home because the London stadium is unavailable during a run of concerts by musician The Weeknd on the same dates. The same report notes this is the first time since 2006 that the Community Shield has been staged in Wales, and only the third occasion since Wembley reopened in 2007 that the fixture has been taken outside London.
Mikel Arteta, whose Arsenal side won the Premier League last season, addressed his own contract situation, which expires next year, insisting he is untroubled by the uncertainty.
They don't have to worry about any of that, because I want to be here. I am extremely happy. I feel very grateful to work with the people that I work with and when we have the possibility, we will resolve that. And that's it.
Asked whether talks over an extension would continue once the transfer window closes, Arteta added:
There is always another priority, I think. And that's the way we have been treating it, I think because everybody feels comfortable that the time on the contract is not going to be an issue. I think because my will, certainly, is to be here and I am very happy here. My feeling from the club is the same one. That is why everyone is doing things in a really organic way.
Separately, according to reporting from a football finance outlet, Arteta's current deal runs until 2027 and he is understood to earn in the region of €11.5 million, roughly £10 million, per year. Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke had previously described securing a new contract for the manager as the club's
