Arsenal and Manchester City will battle for the first piece of domestic silverware of the season on Sunday – but Wembley will not provide the backdrop for the Community Shield.
Instead, Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca will take their teams to Cardiff, where the Principality Stadium will host the traditional curtain-raiser to the English campaign.
The unusual venue has inevitably raised questions among supporters accustomed to seeing the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners face off at Wembley.
But there is a straightforward explanation behind the switch.
Wembley is unavailable because The Weeknd is currently performing a run of concerts at the national stadium as part of his After Hours Til Dawn tour.
The Canadian singer is playing several dates in London between August 14 and August 19, creating a clash with Sunday’s Community Shield.
That has forced the FA to look elsewhere, with the Principality Stadium selected to welcome Arsenal and City.
It is hardly unfamiliar territory for English football.
Arsenal and Manchester City will battle for the first piece of domestic silverware of the season on Sunday – but Wembley will not provide the backdrop for the Community Shield
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PA
The Cardiff venue became the temporary home of several of the country’s biggest fixtures while the new Wembley was being constructed between 2000 and 2007.
FA Cup finals were held there during that period, while the Community Shield also regularly headed across the border into Wales.
The League Cup final was staged at the stadium between 2001 and 2006.
Cardiff also welcomed European football’s biggest club fixture in 2017, when Real Madrid defeated Juventus 4-1 in the Champions League final.
Cardiff’s Principality Stadium is set to host today’s Community Shield clash
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GETTYNormally associated with the Welsh national rugby union team, the 74,000-capacity stadium therefore boasts considerable footballing pedigree.
And this is far from the first occasion the Community Shield has been moved away from Wembley because of a scheduling conflict.
Leicester City’s King Power Stadium staged the 2022 edition as Wembley prepared to host the Women’s European Championship final.
England famously went on to beat Germany at the national stadium and secure their first major women’s international trophy.
A decade earlier, Villa Park was chosen for the 2012 Community Shield because Wembley was being used as part of the London Olympics.
The move to Cardiff will nevertheless give Sunday’s clash a different feel as Arsenal and City renew their rivalry.
Arteta’s side enter the contest as defending Premier League champions and will be hoping to immediately add another trophy before beginning their title defence against Coventry City just five days later.
Enzo Maresca has landed a big job at Man City ahead of this afternoon’s Community Shield match with Arsenal
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GETTYCity, meanwhile, are entering a new era under Maresca following the departure of Pep Guardiola.
The Community Shield has traditionally occupied an unusual position in English football, with its status frequently debated and results providing little indication of how the subsequent Premier League campaign will unfold.
That will matter little to either manager once Sunday’s game begins.
Both clubs will want to make an early statement and secure the first available silverware of the new season.
