The Community Shield 2026 offers a fascinating glimpse into the season ahead, as reigning Premier League champions Arsenal take on FA Cup holders Man City at the very beginning of a new cycle – a moment fans had hoped would never materialize.
Though a one-time protege of departed City boss Pep Guardiola, Enzo Maresca has witnessed a lukewarm reaction to his appointment, so he’ll need to prove himself right off the bat. Mikel Arteta, of course, was once a member of Guardiola’s backroom staff too. It’s fair to say the two coaches have since taken divergent paths.
Arteta has built a hyper-physical Arsenal team that bullied its way to a first top-flight title in 22 years, winning few admirers along the way. Set-pieces and dark arts formed a deadly one-two combination, but William Saliba’s back injury and Declan Rice’s ongoing fitness issues have thrown a spanner in the works. The £75m signing Bruno Guimaraes is a ready-made replacement for Rice, while Cristhian Mosquera should slot in to partner Gabriel Magalhaes.
Although Maresca’s finicky methods got old very quickly at both Leicester and Chelsea, there was no doubt among the City hierarchy about his suitability to succeed Guardiola. The sense remains, however, that the Cityzens could enter their equivalent of Man Utd’s post-Alex Ferguson years. Big-money signing Tijjani Reijnders has already been frozen out, while Maresca has big decisions to make, with both Rodri and £116m signing Elliot Anderson on the books.
Read on as we explain how to watch Community Shield 2026 between Arsenal and Man City from anywhere in the world.
Yes, if you’re lucky enough to live in Italy or Poland.
In the former, Nove TV will be showing the Community Shield 2026 without cost, while free-to-air TVP Sport has the rights to Arsenal vs Man City in the latter country.
In nearly every other country, the Community Shield 2026 is locked behind a paywall, but there are some free trials available.
In the US, the game is being shown on ESPN, which is carried by YouTube TV (10-day free trial), DirecTV Stream (5-day free trial) and Hulu+Live TV (3-day free trial).
Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch Community Shield 2026 for free as if you were right at home.
Use a VPN to watch Community Shield 2026 live streams
A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it’s back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.
How to watch Community Shield 2026 live streams in the US
In the US, the 2026 Community Shield is available to live stream on ESPN Select.
A subscription costs $12.99/month or $129.99/year, but you can bundle it with Disney+ and Hulu for $19.99/month.
Another option is ESPN Unlimited, which costs $29.99/month or $299.99/year and includes streaming access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SECN, ACCN, ESPN+, ESPN on ABC, SECN+, ACCNX, NFL Network and CW Sports.
The Arsenal vs Man City game is also being televised on ESPN.
Sling TV carries ESPN on its Orange plan, which costs $4.99/day, $9.99 for three days, $14.99/week, $45.99/month or $115/quarter.
ESPN is also carried by YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TVand DirecTV Stream, each of which offers a free trial to new users.
Outside the US for a game? Use NordVPN to access your usual coverage.
How to watch Community Shield 2026 live streams in the UK
In the UK, live Community Shield 2026 coverage is being provided by TNT Sports 1.
You can add TNT Sports to your Sky, Virgin Media or EE TV package, or get a HBO Max plan that includes TNT Sports. Prices start at £25.99/month if you commit to a year.
If you’re out of the UK but still want to tune in, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.
How to watch Community Shield 2026 live streams in Australia
In Australia, the 2026 Community Shield is exclusive to Stan Sport.
Stan Sport costs AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription, which itself starts at AU$9.99/month. It’s also home to the Premier League, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, Super Rugby, the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch the action as if you were back home.
How to watch Community Shield 2026 live streams in Canada
The 2026 Community Shield is being shown on Sportsnet 1 in Canada.
Sportsnet channels are available to stream via Sportsnet Plus, which starts at CA$29.99/month or CA$249.99/year.
Not in Canada? Use NordVPN if you’re away from home, in order to tap into your preferred Arsenal vs Man City coverage from anywhere.
What is the Community Shield 2026 start time?
The scheduled Community Shield kick-off time on Sunday, August 16 is 3pm BST local time in Cardiff, which is 10am ET / 7am PT.
That’s 12am AEST on Monday, August 17 in Australia.
What is the Arsenal vs Man City head-to-head?
Arsenal and Man City have contested 216 competitive games. The Gunners have won 101 of them, and the Blues 67, with 48 having ended all-square.
Can I watch Community Shield 2026 on my mobile?
Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone’s browser.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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