Wembley's Shame: Community Shield Dethroned by The Weeknd, Again

Look, I get it. Money talks. Always has, always will. But when the Football Association announces, with a straight face, that the 2026 Community Shield — the traditional curtain-raiser for the English football season — is getting shunted out of Wembley because The Weeknd has a concert booked, it just feels… off. It's not the first time, either. Remember 2012, when the Olympic Games pushed the Shield to Villa Park, or 2022 when it went to Leicester City's King Power Stadium? This time, it's Cardiff's Principality Stadium that gets the nod. Good for Cardiff, I guess. Bad for the FA's priorities.

Real talk: the Community Shield isn't the FA Cup final. It's not the Champions League. But it’s still a piece of silverware, a proper domestic fixture, and it deserves a bit more respect than being a second-class citizen to a pop star. Manchester United beat Wigan 2-0 in the 2013 Shield; Arsenal edged Chelsea 4-1 on penalties in 2017. These games matter to the clubs and their fans, even if some pundits sniff at their prestige. Wembley should be sacrosanct for these occasions. We're talking about a stadium that hosted the 1966 World Cup final and countless FA Cup showdowns. It’s a national monument for football.

Here's the thing: Wembley Stadium, owned by the FA, made a reported £103 million in revenue in 2023. A significant chunk of that comes from non-football events – concerts, NFL games, boxing matches. They're clearly chasing the biggest bag, and a global superstar like The Weeknd probably guarantees a bigger payday than Arsenal vs. Manchester City in August. But where does it end? Are we going to see FA Cup semi-finals moved for Monster Truck rallies next? It’s a slippery slope. The FA has to balance the books, sure, but they also have a duty to protect the integrity and tradition of English football.

This decision highlights a larger problem: the commercialisation of everything. Every blade of grass, every kick of a ball, seems to have a price tag attached. The Community Shield might be considered a glorified friendly by some, but it's a fixture that dates back to 1908. It's part of the fabric. Moving it to Cardiff for a concert fundamentally undervalues its place in the football calendar. The Principality Stadium is a fantastic venue, no doubt. It’s seen some huge rugby matches and even the 2017 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus. But it’s not Wembley. It lacks that historical weight for English football fans.

My hot take? This is a symptom of the FA slowly but surely eroding the value of their own domestic competitions in pursuit of quick cash. They're selling off pieces of the crown jewels, one concert booking at a time. They should have clauses in their contracts prioritizing football. If you own the national stadium, the national game should always come first.

I predict that within five years, we'll see serious proposals to move at least one FA Cup semi-final out of Wembley for similar commercial reasons.