Mitre has today unveiled the Ultimax Pro match ball for the 2026 FA Community Shield, celebrating the unique atmosphere, anticipation and togetherness that define English football's traditional season curtain-raiser.
This year's FA Community Shield sees Emirates FA Cup winners Manchester City take on Premier League champions Arsenal at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Sunday 16 August.
As Official Ball Partner of The Football Association, Mitre approached this year's FA Community Shield with a simple idea: this fixture is about more than the first trophy of the season. It is the moment when football’s top teams return, where rival supporters, players and communities come together with a shared sense of anticipation for what lies ahead.
That feeling is reflected throughout the ball's design. Inspired by the roar that greets the opening whistle, flowing graphics radiate from each panel like soundwaves travelling through a packed stadium, capturing the atmosphere created when thousands of supporters become one voice.
Overlapping reds, yellows, blues and purples blend into entirely new shades, symbolising the coming together of clubs, fans and communities for football's first major occasion of the season. Premium silver detailing across Mitre's signature Delta chevrons takes inspiration from the Community Shield trophy itself, celebrating the prestige of competing for the campaign's first silverware.
The Official Match Ball also forms part of Mitre's wider Flow State creative platform, exploring the moments where instinct, confidence and performance align. Beneath the competition-inspired graphics sits Mitre's latest elite performance technology, combining innovation with storytelling to create a ball engineered for the highest level of the game while remaining rooted in the identity of the match it represents.
To mark the occasion, Mitre will gift an Official Match Ball to Peter Crouch, John Arne Riise and Andriy Shevchenko, whose goals lit up the last FA Community Shield staged outside of England in 2006. Twenty years on, as the fixture returns beyond England's borders, the presentation serves as a fitting nod to one of the fixture's most distinctive chapters.
The FA Community Shield Ultimax Pro is built to deliver exceptional durability, zero water absorption, and perfect shape retention.
On the pitch, the ball’s Hyperflow debossed grooves offer enhanced flight stability and reduced drag for precise passing, while a Hyperfoam mid-layer provides a responsive touch and close control - essential for the game’s most technical moments.
Alex Roberts, Head of Brand Mitre, said: “The FA Community Shield has always been a unique occasion in the football calendar. It's always signified the moment in which football is well and truly back, and we wanted to create a match ball befitting of that moment.
"Every Official Match Ball we create should reflect the story behind the game. For the FA Community Shield, that meant celebrating the energy, excitement and togetherness that make it such a special occasion. With that in mind, we have delivered an eye-catching elite football, which truly deserves to take centre stage. I have a sneaky suspicion that this ball is going to be in high-demand - personally speaking, it’s one of my favourite designs yet!”
Sarah Kendall, Head of Partnerships at The FA, said: “Mitre has once again done a fantastic job in creating a ball that captures the significance of the FA Community Shield. We look forward to seeing it take centre stage in Cardiff at one of the first major occasions of the football season.”
Every Official Match Ball in Mitre's FA portfolio has been designed to tell the story of the occasion it represents, ensuring that performance innovation is matched by a visual identity inspired by the moments, supporters and traditions that make each competition unique.
Crystal Palace are the current holders after defeating Liverpool on penalties in last year's FA Community Shield, following their historic Emirates FA Cup triumph. Arsenal and Manchester City will contest the 2026 edition at the Principality Stadium on Sunday 16 August, with the winners lifting the first domestic silverware of the new campaign.
