FA Community Shield

The Football Association Community Shield, originally called the Charity Shield, is an annual English football match held at Wembley Stadium. It pits the previous season’s Premier League champions against the FA Cup winners. If one club wins both trophies, the Premier League runners-up take their place. This fixture is England’s version of a domestic super cup.

Organised by the Football Association, the event raises money for charitable and community projects nationwide. Ticket and programme revenue is shared among the 124 clubs that reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, with each club choosing charities or initiatives to receive funds. Any leftover money goes to the FA’s national charity partners. First played in the 1908–09 season, it replaced the Sheriff of London Charity Shield and has been a regular fixture ever since.

As of the 2026 edition, the holders are Arsenal, the 2025–26 Premier League champions, who beat 2025–26 FA Cup winners Manchester City 3–0.

The Community Shield grew out of the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, introduced in 1898, which originally featured teams of professionals and amateurs, continuing the “gentlemen and players” tradition. The Football Association created the Charity Shield to replace it after leading amateur clubs fell out with the FA. The first match in 1908 saw Manchester United, Football League First Division champions, face Queens Park Rangers, Southern League champions.

After a 1–1 draw, United won the replay 4–0—the only time the Shield needed a second leg. Both games were at Stamford Bridge. Early formats varied: in 1913, it was Amateurs versus Professionals XIs; in 1921, it first matched the Football League and FA Cup winners after the Southern League merged into the English league system. Through the 1920s, amateur-versus-professional themes continued, including the 1927 match between Cardiff City (FA Cup holders) and the Corinthians (amateurs).

By 1930, the competition settled into its familiar league-champions-versus-FA-Cup-winners format, with few exceptions. Notable deviations include the 1950 Shield between the England national team and an FA team returning from a Canada tour, and the 1961 fixture where double-winning Tottenham Hotspur faced a Football Association XI.

Since 1959, the match has opened the season. When one club won both the league and FA Cup, inconsistencies arose. In 1971, Arsenal declined to play due to prior commitments, so Leicester City, as Second Division champions, faced FA Cup runners-up Liverpool and won the trophy, despite never having won the League or FA Cup. In 1972 and 1973, several clubs declined invitations, leading to irregular pairings like Manchester City versus Aston Villa and Burnley.

In 1974, FA secretary Ted Croker formalised the modern format: league champions versus FA Cup winners, hosted annually at Wembley. Between 1949 and 1991, eleven editions were shared after draws, but since 1993, penalty shoot-outs decide the winner. The Premier League’s formation in 1992 meant the Shield became a showcase between Premier League and FA Cup winners from the 1993 edition. In 2002, the Charity Commission ruled the FA had failed its charitable duties, including delays in fund distribution and lack of transparency over gate revenue.

This prompted the renaming to the Community Shield. Arsenal won the first edition under the new name, beating Liverpool 1–0.

In 2016, the FA’s official silversmith, Thomas Lyte, restored and rebuilt the original 1908 Shield to mark the 50th anniversary of England’s 1966 World Cup win. The trophy was auctioned for £40,000 to support the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, which became the FA’s official charity partner that year. The auction took place at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, where England celebrated their 1966 victory. In 2002, Thomas Lyte made the current Community Shield and restores it annually. They also design and produce medals for winners and runners-up.

Community Shield rules generally follow Premier League rules, with 11 starting players and 9 substitutes. However, teams are allowed up to six substitutions instead of the usual five. If scores are level after 90 minutes, a penalty shoot-out decides the winner. If a team wins both the Premier League and FA Cup, the Premier League runners-up provide the opposition.

As England’s super cup, the Community Shield is seen as the season’s “curtain-raiser” and the first competitive match of the top-flight season. However, teams treat it with varying seriousness; some use it like a friendly to give match time to fringe players or those returning from injury. BBC Sport’s Mark Lawrenson and The Guardian’s Tom Bryant have both called it a “glorified friendly.” Before the 2008 Community Shield, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the competition as “prestigious” but did not elaborate further.