The Community Shield is set to ignite the season as Arsenal, the English champions, clash with Manchester City, the FA Cup winners, at Cardiff's Principality Stadium this Sunday.

As both teams gear up for a fierce battle for the Premier League title, questions arise regarding the significance of winning this traditional curtain-raiser. Historically, the stats reveal a surprising trend: winning the Community Shield does not guarantee a successful league campaign.

Key highlights include:

• Only 8 out of 34 Community Shield winners have claimed the Premier League title since the league's inception in 1992-93.
• Five of those victories occurred in a concentrated period from 2005 to 2010.
• The last team to achieve this dual success was Manchester City in 2019, followed by Manchester United in 2011.
• Remarkably, just 1 out of the last 15 Community Shield victors went on to secure the championship title that season.

Interestingly, the teams that lose the Community Shield have historically fared better in the league, with 10 league titles won by the runners-up, including Manchester City, who triumphed for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023.

Last year, Crystal Palace defeated Liverpool in the Shield but ended the season in 15th place, despite winning the Conference League. Meanwhile, Liverpool finished a disappointing fifth in the league.

Notably, 47% of the time, the Premier League winners were not involved in the Community Shield, as seen with Arsenal in the 2025-26 season. Conversely, 53% of Shield winners finished above their opponents in the league.

In just 10 instances, both teams have finished as the top two in the Premier League, showcasing the competitive nature of both clubs as they approach this pivotal match.