Manchester City and Liverpool to meet at Leicester City's King Power Stadium in Community Shield

Manchester City and Liverpool will face off at the King Power Stadium in next season’s curtain-raiser after Leicester City confirmed they will host the Community Shield this summer.

The Premier League winners and FA Cup holders will meet at City’s home on Saturday, July 30, with Wembley unavailable. The Women’s European Championship final takes place at the national stadium that weekend.

Leeds’ Elland Road, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Aston Villa’s Villa Park and West Ham’s London Stadium were all said to be possible hosts for the game, but the King Power Stadium has been chosen, with Leicester the last team to lift the trophy. Kelechi Iheanacho scored an 89th-minute penalty to beat Manchester City at Wembley last August.

The game takes place a week earlier than usual this year with the Premier League season moved forward to accommodate the Qatar World Cup, which will be played mid-season, between November and December.

It is the first time since 2012 that the Community Shield has been played away from Wembley, with Villa Park hosting it a decade ago when the national stadium was being used for fixtures in the London Olympics.

With the King Power Stadium only holding 32,500 fans, there will be almost 60,000 fewer spectators at the game compared to a Wembley fixture. However, after travel chaos for their FA Cup semi-final against each other in the capital in April, fans of Liverpool and Man City may appreciate an easier journey.

The date of the fixture means City are likely to have to play away from home for their final pre-season fixture, which typically comes a week before the big kick-off. The Premier League campaign begins on Saturday, August 6.