Samuel Barrott has been assigned as the referee to officiate the 2026 FA Community Shield Final between Arsenal and Manchester City. Arsenal and Manchester City are set to face off on Sunday, August 16, in the FA Community Shield final with the first hardware of the 2026-27 season on the line. With all procedural details finalized, match officials have officially been appointed for the clash at Principality Stadium. The match referee tasked with officiating the 2026 Community Shield is Samuel Barrott. The 33-year-old official has made a rapid rise through the English ranks, taking charge of Premier League fixtures since 2024 and joining the official FIFA refereeing list in 2025. The 2026 Community Shield will mark the third major final of Barrott’s career. The English referee previously officiated the 2023-24 EFL League One Playoff Final between Bolton Wanderers and Oxford United (a 2-0 Oxford victory), and most recently handled the UEFA U19 EURO Final between Spain and Germany (a 2-0 win for Spain). Barrott will lead the crew on the pitch alongside assistant referees Craig Taylor and Blake Antrobus, with Farai Hallam serving as the fourth official on the touchline. The Community Shield final will feature full VAR implementation, led by lead VAR official James Bell and assistant VAR Tim Wood. Referee Sam Barrott shows Nick Pope of Newcastle United a yellow card during the Premier League clash vs. Arsenal. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) Complete list of match officials Referee: Sam Barrott1st assistant: Craig Taylor2nd assistant Blake Antrobus4th Official: Farai HallamReserve Assistant Referee: Alistair NelsonVAR: James BellAVAR: Tim Wood Barrott’s record with Arsenal and Manchester City Sam Barrott made his Premier League officiating debut back in October 2023 during a fixture between Fulham and Sheffield United at Craven Cottage that ended in a 3-1 win for the host side. Since then, he has overseen several high-profile matches involving both Man City and Arsenal across top-flight English soccer and domestic cup competitions. When overseeing the Citizens, Barrott has officiated six matches, including four in the Premier League, one in the Carabao Cup, and one in the FA Cup. His most recent Man City fixture was an FA Cup round of 16 clash against Newcastle United, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Pep Guardiola’s side. In those six matches under Barrott, Man City hold a 4-2 record while outscoring opponents 16-6. Arsenal hold an even stronger mark under Barrott’s whistle, boasting nine wins and just one defeat across 10 matches. However, that single loss came in a major fixture, the 2025-26 FA Cup quarterfinal, where second-tier Southampton eliminated the Gunners 2-1. His most recent Arsenal match was a Premier League tilt that ended in a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.