The Football Association has named Sam Barrott as the referee for the 2026 FA Community Shield match between Premier League winners Arsenal and FA Cup champions Manchester City.
The game will take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, August 16, with kick-off set for 3pm BST.
The FA shared the news on Monday, confirming that Barrott from the West Riding FA will officiate the season opener.
“The match officials for the 2026 FA Community Shield between Manchester City and Arsenal have been appointed,” the statement said.
The FA's release on its website mentioned that Barrott, who officiated at the UEFA Under-19 European Championship this summer, will be “assisted by Craig Taylor of the Staffordshire FA and Blake Antrobus of the Manchester FA.”
“Farai Hallam of the Surrey FA has been appointed as the fourth official, while Alistair Nelson of the Nottinghamshire FA will serve as the reserve assistant referee.
“The Video Assistant Referee team will include James Bell of the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA as VAR and Tim Wood of the Gloucestershire FA as AVAR,” it added.
This match will be Manchester City’s first Community Shield game since 2024, with the FA Cup winners looking for their first win in this competition since then.
City will also start a new chapter under head coach Enzo Maresca after Pep Guardiola’s exit at the end of the last season.
On the other hand, Arsenal will make their return to the Community Shield for the first time since 2023, when they triumphed over City on penalties after a scoreless draw at Wembley.
This game will kick off the official start of the 2026-27 English football season, featuring the current Premier League champions against the FA Cup title holders.
Last season, Crystal Palace shocked everyone by winning the FA Community Shield on August 10, 2025, defeating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties.
The match ended 2-2 after the regulation time, and Palace won 3-2 in the shootout.
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