Arsenal fans might want to keep an eye on the FA Cup final on Saturday, as a Manchester City win would guarantee the Gunners a spot in the 2026 Community Shield.
A lot is still up in the air with Arsenal’s season and the coming summer, but one thing that could be confirmed on Saturday is whether or not the Gunners will qualify for the Community Shield game in Cardiff in August.
That’s because a Manchester City win over Chelsea would confirm City as one of the two participants in the Community Shield game, to face the winner of the Premier League.
But as only Manchester City and Arsenal are mathematically capable of winning the Premier League, either Arsenal will qualify as Premier League winners, or Arsenal would qualify as the Premier League runner-up (if City win both competitions).
The only way Arsenal can fail to qualify for the Community Shield is if Chelsea win the FA Cup and City win the Premier League, which is still a possibility at this stage.
But a City FA Cup win would take that option off the table and confirm Arsenal’s involvement.
The Community Shield will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, August 16th, rather than the usual venue of Wembley.
The FA have confirmed that Wembley is unavailable on Saturday, August 15th or Sunday, August 16th due to pre-planned concerts. Music artist The Weeknd will be performing at the ground on both days.
As a result, the game will return to Cardiff for the first time since 2006. The FA add that further details about the game will be announced as soon as possible once the teams involved are known, which could well be today.
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