Travel Advice for the Community Shield at Principality Stadium on 16 August

Wed, 5 Aug 2026

 

Road closures will be put in place for Manchester City vs Arsenal on 16, August.

With the kick off taking place at 3pm, there will be road closures around the stadium from 10am until 8pm.

All routes for both Manchester City and Arsenal fans will be clearly signposted for cars, minibuses, and coaches.

The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy– so please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff, please pre-book the park & ride facility for your team.

For up-to-date traffic information on the motorway and trunk roads go to the Traffic Wales website, or @TrafficWalesS on Twitter and Facebook.

Those attending this football match are strongly advised to plan their journey and get in early.  Please pay attention to the prohibited items listed at principalitystadium.wales, in particular the bag policy (no large bags permitted) before travelling into the city.

Transport for Wales will continue to use a new system using both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street railway stations. Fans heading home on Valleys and Vale services will be directed to Cardiff Queen Street station instead of Cardiff Central, but mainline train services will continue to use Cardiff Central, including services to Ebbw Vale.

Road closures

From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.

The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure for each event:

  • Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
  • Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
  • Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment).
  • Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted).
  • The following roads will be closed in their entirety: Duke Street, Castle St, High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
  • Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only during the times of the road closures. This is to ensure that there is reliable access for buses to the satellite points in Churchill Way.
  • Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the game finishes and up to hour after the final whistle on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.

Additions:
Civic Centre: Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.

Roads affected include King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.

Station Terrace will be closed for two hours, between 4.30pm and 6.30pm to allow Queen Street Station to operate safely.

Trains

Transport for Wales (TfW) has provided additional capacity where possible on routes to and from Cardiff for the FA Community Shield, with later services scheduled to accommodate attendees.

A full queuing system will be in place with passengers travelling to the Valleys or the Vale of Glamorgan directed to Cardiff Queen Street station after the event. All other queues including Ebbw Vale and Maesteg will be at Cardiff Central station.

Queuing will start from 4.45pm at both stations with an accessibility queue available at Cardiff Central.

Rail services are expected to be busier than usual, and passengers are encouraged to plan ahead, allow plenty of time for their journeys, and purchase rail tickets in advance.

Passengers using pay as you go should tap in at their departure station and then tap out using same payment method. Transport for Wales volunteers will be available to assist with tapping in and out.

Cardiff Bus Interchange will close in line with city centre road closures, reopening at 8pm. Both car parks at Cardiff Central will also be closed as TfW prepares for the station enhancements, though the multi-storey car park will remain open and available to use.

Saunders Road Taxi rank will be closed from 9 45am until 11 59pm.

Full information will be shared on TfW website and social media channels.

https://tfw.wales/places/events/fa-community-shield-2026
https://www.principalitystadium.wales/event/2026-fa-community-shield-arsenal-vs-manchester-city/

Park & Ride facility for Arsenal Fans

 

Cardiff City Stadium at Leckwith – CF11 8AZ – can be accessed from junction 33 off the M4, along the A4232 following the signs to the site.

The drop off point is Fitzhamon Embankment.

To guarantee a space, please pre-book through the following link – https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/community-shield-arsenal-parking

Alternatively, the cost is £20 payable on the day.

Coach and Minibus Parking for Arsenal Fans

Lloyd George Avenue – CF10 5EJ. Travel along the M4 over the Severn Crossing. Leave the M4 at Junction 28. Travel along the A48 to Eastern Avenue. Join the A4232 Southern Way and continue via Rover Way. Take the Eastern Bay Link Road, then follow Caspian Way, Pierhead Street and Bute Street to Lloyd George Avenue.

To guarantee a space, please pre-book through the following link – https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/community-shield-arsenal-parking

Alternatively, the cost is £30 payable per coach/minibus.

Park and Ride for Manchester City Fans

Pentwyn Park & Ride – CF23 8HH – leave the M4 at junction 29, following designated parking signs for your team. From the M4, travel along the A48 to Eastern Avenue.

The drop off point is Kingsway, by Cardiff Castle.

To guarantee a space, please pre-book through the following link – https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/community-shield-manchester-city-parking

Alternatively, the cost is £20 payable on the day.

Car, Coach and Minibus Parking for Manchester City Fans

Civic Centre – CF10 3AX. Leave the M4 at Junction 32/A470. Travel south along the A470/Manor Way following the designated signs for the Civic Centre. Access is via Corbett Road, with additional entry points via College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.

To guarantee a space, please pre-book through the following link – https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/community-shield-manchester-city-parking

Alternatively, the cost is £20 per car and £30 payable per coach/minibus.

Bus

Local buses:

Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place

Please visit the relevant bus operator’s website for more information about your specific bus routes.

For Stagecoach services, please visit: Welcome to Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com)

For Cardiff Bus services, please visit: https://www.cardiffbus.com/principality-stadium

For NAT services, please visit: https://www.natgroup.co.uk/

National Express:
 
National Express coaches will use Sophia Gardens as usual.

Can you cycle or walk?

The cycleways and the pop-up cycleways within the road closure area will remain open for cyclists to use during the event, but due to the number of people expected to attend the football match, we ask all cyclists to take due care and attention.

The road closures apply to all motor vehicles of any kind, but not to bicycles with pedals.

Those who live locally in Cardiff may want to travel by bicycle or walk. Research shows us that 52% of car trips made in the Welsh capital are less than 5km. This is a distance that can be comfortably cycled in 20 minutes.

We also know that 28% of Cardiff residents who currently do not cycle would like to do so.

When the roads are congested this makes cycling an even more attractive option as travel by bicycle would be quicker than a car during rush hours or during big events.

Shopping Parking

City centre car parks are also available: North Road Car Parks, St David’s Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, and NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road).

Disabled parking

Disabled parking can be booked with the Principality Stadium on a first come first serve basis, or both teams are providing disabled buses which will park on Taff Mead Embankment on a first come first serve basis.

Taxis

St Mary Street taxi rank will close at 10am and re-open at 8pm.