How important is Community Shield to a team's season?
Premier League champions Arsenal take on FA Cup winners Manchester City in Sunday's Community Shield - but would winning suggest a successful season ahead?
The Community Shield, contested between the English Premier League champions and the FA Cup winners, holds significance yet does not guarantee a successful season ahead. Since the Premier League's inception in 1992-93, only eight of the 34 Community Shield winners have gone on to lift the title, with Manchester City claiming the trophy in 2019 and Manchester United in 2011.
Conversely, 10 teams that lost the Shield managed to clinch the league title that year, including Manchester City for three consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2023. Notably, 47% of the time (16 out of 34), the upcoming season's Premier League victors did not participate in the Community Shield. The Shield's location in Wales, where Arsenal will face Manchester City this year, underscores its rarity as a pre-season contest.
In recent years, the FA Cup winners have claimed the Community Shield more frequently, with the FA Cup champions securing eight of the past 12 victories.
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