The Community Shield is the traditional curtain-raiser to the English domestic season, pitting the Premier League champions against the FA Cup holders.

This year's fixture sees Arsenal face Manchester City, after the Gunners ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title last term, while the Citizens beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

The two clubs have developed a tasty rivalry over the past few years, so which referee is tasked with keeping the players in check in the Community Shield 2026?

This year's Community Shield is set to be a little different, with the fixture taking place outside of England for the first time since 2006.

With Wembley Stadium unavailable, the game will be held at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, which hosted six successive editions of the curtain-raiser between 2001 and 2006, when the London venue was being rebuilt.

The man in the middle in Cardiff will be Sam Barrott, who has refereed in the Premier League since the 2023/24 season.

The 32-year-old took charge of 30 games in English football last term, including five matches involving Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta's side won four of those, while Barrott also officiated the 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Championship side Southampton in April.

He took charge of three City matches, including two against Newcastle United - a 2-1 Premier League loss and a 3-1 FA Cup victory - and a 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Brentford.

Across the 30 games, Barrott dished out 107 bookings - about 3.5 per fixture, on average - and one red card, to Sunderland's Reinildo Mandava in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in September.

The official was also on duty during this summer's Under 19 European Championship in Wales, refereeing Spain's 2-0 win over Germany in the final.

Craig Taylor and Blake Antrobus will be the assistant referees for the Community Shield, while Farai Hallam is the fourth official.

Meanwhile, James Bell is on VAR duty, assisted by Tim Wood.