Crystal Palace will make history on Sunday, August 10, when they take the field for the first time in their club’s 140-year history in the FA Community Shield—England’s traditional curtain-raiser to the new football season—against Premier League champions Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.
The match, scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. BST, offers fans across the globe multiple viewing options.
In the United Kingdom, the broadcasting mantle has shifted. Long-time free-to-air broadcaster ITV will no longer carry the fixture. Instead, TNT Sports 1 will air the match live, with coverage beginning from 2 p.m. BST ahead of the 15:00 kick-off.
The network’s studio coverage will feature a star-studded punditry line-up including former Crystal Palace stalwart Joel Ward, in his debut role replacing Rio Ferdinand; alongside seasoned figures Steve McManaman, Fara Williams, Joe Cole, and Michail Antonio. Presenting and commentary duties fall to Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist, with Becky Ives also part of the team.
Across the Atlantic, American fans can tune in exclusively via ESPN+. The US broadcast includes multilingual coverage—English commentary provided by Jon Champion and Craig Burley, with Spanish commentary from Ricardo Ortiz and Mario Kempes.
ESPN+ builds up to the fixture with a half-hour ESPN FC pre-game show starting at 9:30 a.m. ET ahead of the 10 a.m. ET kickoff, followed by a post-match analysis segment.
According to ESPN’s press release, this match kicks off the 2025–26 season of European football on ESPN+, joined by coverage of top continental competitions and leagues.
Meanwhile, African viewers—particularly in sub-Saharan Africa—will have access via SuperSport, which continues to hold the regional broadcasting rights for major English football fixtures including the Community Shield.
For viewers in North Africa and the Middle East, beIN Sports remains the go-to provider, having extended exclusive coverage of the FA Community Shield and broader Premier League content across MENA territories.
The FA Community Shield, first played in 1908, traditionally pits the previous season’s Premier League champions against the FA Cup winners.
For Liverpool, winners of the 2024–25 Premier League, this will be a familiar stage—they have featured in 24 prior editions and lifted the Shield 16 times, sharing it on five occasions. For Crystal Palace, the 2025 fixture marks a milestone: their first-ever appearance in the Community Shield after clinching their historic first major trophy, the FA Cup, by defeating Manchester City in May.
Liverpool arrive at Wembley with a reshaped squad under manager Arne Slot. The Reds have invested heavily—reportedly approaching a £300 million spending spree—with the arrivals of stars like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Hugo Ekitike.