Manchester City will play Liverpool at Leicester’s King Power stadium in the Community Shield on July 30 – with the season’s curtain raiser brought forward by a week to accommodate the winter World Cup break
- Leicester’s King Power stadium will be hosting next season’s Community Shield
- Wembley is unable to stage the 2022 fixture because of the Women’s Euros
- Man City and Liverpool will therefore play the season curtain raiser in Leicester
- It will take place on July 30 to accommodate the winter Qatar World Cup break
Manchester City and Liverpool’s meeting in the Community Shield next season will take place at Leicester’s King Power stadium, it has been confirmed.
Wembley, which usually stages the traditional season curtain raiser, is unable to do so this year as it is hosting the Women’s European Championship final on July 31.
Sportsmail revealed earlier this month that the King Power was the frontrunner to replace Wembley after edging ahead of Elland Road, Villa Park, the Emirates Stadium and the London Stadium.
And now Leicester’s 32,261-seat home ground has been confirmed as the hosts of next season’s showpiece, which will take place at 5pm on July 30.
The 2022 Community Shield will be held at the King Power stadium, it has been confirmed
Foxes chief executive Susan Whelan said: ‘Being able to host such a prestigious fixture in our stadium is fantastic news for the city and further underlines Leicester City’s long-term commitment to establish Leicestershire as a home for high-profile sporting events.
‘On behalf of the football club, I’d like to thank the FA and all stakeholders who have worked with us on making this possible.
‘We look forward to welcoming teams and supporters from Manchester City and Liverpool to the city in July.’
The 2022 Community Shield, traditionally pitting last season’s Premier League and FA Cup winners against each other, will be broadcast live on ITV for viewers in the UK.
Wembley usually hosts the season curtain raiser, which Leicester won last year, but will be unable to do so in July due to the Women’s European Championship
Liverpool and Manchester City will therefore lock horns in the Foxes’ 32,261-seater venue
It is going ahead a week earlier than usual due to this year’s winter World Cup in Qatar, with the new Premier League season due to begin on August 6.
When choosing an alternative to Wembley, the FA was mindful of the controversy surrounding Liverpool and City’s meeting in the FA Cup semi-final, which was played at the national stadium on a weekend when there were no direct rail services to London.
Leeds’ Elland Road initially appeared in pole position to stage it, while Arsenal and West Ham also expressed their interest in doing so.
Yet in the end Leicester, who won last year’s Community Shield, saw their smaller venue pip the three clubs to the event.
City booked their place in next season’s Community Shield by producing a sensational final-day comeback against Aston Villa to win the Premier League title.
City booked their place in the showpiece by winning the Premier League earlier this month
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, meanwhile, did so by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final
Needing a victory to keep their noses above Liverpool, Pep Guardiola’s side looked set to blow it when they fell two goals behind at home to Villa.
That was before a strike from Rodri and substitute Ilkay Gundogan’s brace completed a miraculous five-minute turnaround for City and ensured the Reds’ win over Wolves counted for nothing.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the title, and losing last weekend’s Champions League final, Liverpool still ended the season with two trophies.
They won the League Cup and FA Cup, with the latter triumph earning them Community Shield qualification.