WREXHAM, Wales — The Racecourse Ground was a sea of red and white, a roaring cauldron of joy, as Wrexham AFC sealed a 3-0 victory over Charlton Athletic on April 26, clinching promotion to the English Football League Championship. This isn’t just another step up the ladder for the Welsh club—it’s a record-shattering feat, the first time any team in England’s top five divisions has nailed three consecutive promotions. Co-owned by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and actor Rob McElhenney, Wrexham’s rise from the fifth-tier National League to the second tier in just three seasons is the stuff of fairy tales, but it’s real, gritty, and hard-won.
The match was do-or-die. Wycombe Wanderers, Wrexham’s closest rivals for the second automatic promotion spot in League One, had stumbled earlier that day, losing 1-0 to Leyton Orient. That left the door wide open. Wrexham, sitting second behind runaway leaders Birmingham City, needed a win to lock in their place in the Championship, a league they haven’t touched since 1982. The players delivered. Ollie Rathbone fired a venomous low drive from the edge of the box in the 15th minute, the ball slicing through a forest of legs to spark wild cheers. Three minutes later, Sam Smith latched onto a clipped pass from Matty James, volleying home a beauty that sent the 12,000-strong crowd into a frenzy. Smith wasn’t done—he added a third goal later, sealing the deal with a predator’s calm.
Reynolds, the Deadpool star who’s poured heart and cash into Wrexham since he and McElhenney bought the club in February 2021, was there, soaking it in. He was spotted slinging beers to fans at a marquee near the Turf pub before kickoff, his wife Blake Lively by his side, both grinning like kids at a carnival. McElhenney, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator, was right there too, hugging players on the pitch after the final whistle. The duo’s takeover, once a head-scratcher to locals, has turned a struggling club into a global phenomenon, fueled by the Emmy-winning docuseries Welcome to Wrexham. But this isn’t just Hollywood glitz—manager Phil Parkinson, a grizzled tactician with prior promotions at Colchester, Bradford, and Bolton, has been the architect. His squad, rebuilt with shrewd signings like Smith from Reading, has punched above its weight all season.
The numbers tell a wild story. Wrexham were National League champions in 2022-23, ending a 15-year exile from the English Football League. They followed it with a second-place finish in League Two in 2023-24, and now, they’ve nabbed second in League One, 13 points behind Birmingham but six clear of Wycombe. Three promotions, three seasons, one club—a record etched in history. The club’s financials are no less jaw-dropping: turnover hit £26.7 million in 2023-24, a League Two record, and the Allyn family of New York snapped up a near-15% stake in October 2024, valuing Wrexham at £100 million. The loans Reynolds and McElhenney fronted, once £15 million, are fully repaid.
This is Wrexham’s eighth promotion ever, but the last three have come in a blink, a rocket ride from the doldrums of non-league football to the edge of the Premier League dream. The Championship, a brutal 46-game slog with clubs like Leicester City in the mix, awaits. Parkinson’s already plotting, eyeing new signings to bolster the squad. For now, though, Wrexham’s fans are singing, the Turf is packed, and the Red Dragons are flying high.
The club will compete in the EFL Championship for the 2025-26 season, their first second-tier campaign in 43 years. Their final League One match is April 29 against Cambridge United.