Arsenal v Manchester City: Full lineups confirmed for 2026 FA Community Shield final

Arsenal will face Manchester City in the FA Community Shield final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, August 16, 2026, with both clubs naming their starting XIs ahead of the match.

Both sides finished as the top two teams in the Premier League last season and meet at the start of the 2026-27 campaign. Mikel Arteta ended Arsenal’s 22-year wait for a Premier League title last season, clinching the title with 85 points, and the Gunners also finished as runners-up in the UEFA Champions League. Arteta has won the Community Shield four times — twice as a player and twice as a manager — and two of those victories came against Manchester City; he is currently the longest-serving head coach in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta named Arsenal’s starting XI as: David Raya (GK); Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Martin Odegaard, Bruno Guimaraes, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis. The substitutes listed are: Kepa Arrizabalaga (gk), Piero Hincapie, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Bukayo Saka, Max Dowman, Viktor Gyokeres.

Manchester City arrive amid a period of change, with long-time head coach Pep Guardiola departed and Enzo Maresca overseeing a summer of transition; City won three Community Shields under Guardiola. City’s starting XI is: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK); Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly; Mateo Kovacic, Elliot Anderson; Antonie Semenyo, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland. Their bench comprises: Geronimo Rulli (gk), Marc Guehi, Matheus Nunes, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rico Lewis, Nico Gonzalez, Rayan Cherki, Jack Grealish, Omar Marmoush.

The match will kick off at 7:30 PM IST for viewers in India and is scheduled to take place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. For additional coverage and live updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, download the Khel Now Android or iOS app, or join their community on Telegram. Sushruta, the reporter, has spent over two years covering football with a focus on Indian and international competitions and has also reported across other sports; when not following matches he says he is usually binge-watching movies or reading.

As the Community Shield final, the fixture offers both clubs the opportunity to claim the first piece of silverware of the 2026-27 English season.