- The rise and rise of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenneyโs Wrexham AFC is bringing them to Australia and New Zealand for a pre-season tour.
- The Welsh football club, which was recently promoted to the EFL Championship, have committed to friendlies against the A-Leagueโs Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC, and Wellington Phoenix
- Hollywood fixtures Reynolds and McElhenney are also expected be in tow for the tour Down Under.
Ahead of their first earnest attempt to break into the Premier League, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenneyโs Wrexham AFC is making the journey to Australia and New Zealand for a pre-season tour, which will involve a trio of friendly matches against A-League sides.
The Red Dragons are scheduled to play Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium (July 11th), then Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium (July 15th), before hopping across the ditch to face Wellington Phoenix at New Zealandโs Sky Stadium (July 19th).
โFrom the very beginning, we wanted to help make Wrexham a globally recognised team, town, and brand,โ McElhenney and Reynolds said via prepared media release.
โWe could not be more excited to bring the Red Dragons to Australia and New Zealand, and we are particularly proud that this announcement features neither a Men at Work or Hugh Jackman joke. The latter of which took maturity and tremendous restraint.โ
โWeโre proud of Ryan. Of course, we make no promises going forward.โ
Naturally, the excitement surrounding both Wrexham AFX and their Hollywood co-chairmen/co-owners has already caused quite a local stir. To the point where the likes of Sydneyโs York Lane Bar (โthe unofficial home of Wrexhamโ) is offering free Wrexham Lagers all week long in celebration.
Four years ago, when the languishing Welsh franchise โ and worldโs third-oldest professional football club โ was acquired by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds for US$2.5 million, it was cynically painted as a publicity stunt for the sole purpose of Disney+ content. In the hard-fought seasons and FA Cup heroics since, itโs proven to be a Cinderella story for the ages.
Wrexham AFCโs unprecedented ongoing run has yielded three consecutive promotions so far (the most recent coming down to the 2024-25 League One seasonโs final game). And now, McElhenneyโs once-ridiculed declaration to enter the Premier League is just a single promotion away from becoming a reality.
โThere was understandably a lot of titters, laughter, and giggles, but itโs starting to feel like a tangible thing that could actually come to fruition,โ Reynolds told Sky Sports.
โI think everybody knows the jump is huge. But Iโm confident we will be well prepared for that,โ said manager Phil Parkinson.
From the fifth-tier National League to a ยฃ100 million EFL Championship side, like weโve said before, Hollywood itself would hesitate to script something this unbelievable.
Tickets officially go on sale via Ticketek from May 14th at 11:00 AM (AEST). Find out more below.
