Wrexham AFC On Verge of Premier League: Reynolds' Bold Vision Nearing Reality

When Ryan Reynolds half-jokingly pledged to bring Wrexham to the Premier League back in October 2021, the room erupted in laughter. Fast forward to today, and nobody's laughing anymore.

Wrexham AFC currently sit just outside the EFL Championship playoff positions, requiring only one victory to virtually guarantee their spot. Should they triumph in the playoffs — decided by a single winner-take-all final at Wembley Stadium — they'll secure promotion to the world's most-watched football league. Incredibly, the Welsh club are just four matches away from completing one of the most remarkable ascents in English football history.

Three Straight Promotions — And Counting

The magnitude of this achievement becomes clear when examining where they started. Back in 2021, Wrexham were languishing in England's fifth tier, a semi-professional side from a modest Welsh town that had endured years of struggle. Following three consecutive promotions, they're now battling in the EFL Championship — Europe's sixth-wealthiest league — against clubs boasting established Premier League squads and significantly larger transfer budgets.

Before Wrexham accomplished it, no team in English Football League history had ever secured three consecutive promotions. Now they're threatening to make it four in a row.

Skeptics might argue that Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney simply purchased their way to success. However, the financial data doesn't support this narrative. Approximately £38 million has been invested in the first-team squad since the Hollywood duo took over, but the majority arrived after they'd already clinched three promotions. For comparison, both Ipswich Town and Southampton spent considerably more than Wrexham last summer. Birmingham City, Norwich, Middlesbrough, and Sheffield United weren't far behind either. Financially speaking, Wrexham remain underdogs, not just in storytelling terms.

Championship Playoff Implications

Wrexham's home fixture against Middlesbrough on May 2nd represents their final regular-season match. A victory would almost certainly secure a playoff berth. The playoff final at Wembley is a single-match showdown, and these one-off encounters are where odds tighten and surprises unfold — Wrexham's consistent ability to deliver in pressure situations this campaign makes them a legitimate contender, not merely a feel-good story.

Manager Phil Parkinson deserves far more recognition than he typically receives in these discussions. Guiding a club from the National League to the brink of the Premier League in just four seasons, competing against teams with deeper rosters and extensive top-flight experience — that's a managerial accomplishment that stands independently, regardless of the club's ownership.

FX has already greenlit three additional seasons of Welcome to Wrexham. The Season 5 trailer premiered this week, perfectly timed with the team's final push. The documentary series has captured 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and cultivated a worldwide fanbase for a club that most football supporters outside Wales had never encountered four years ago.

Should Wrexham reach the Premier League, it won't simply be an inspiring sports narrative. It'll be the most comprehensively documented underdog promotion in football history — every locker room exchange, every training pitch decision, every raucous pub celebration preserved on camera. From the fifth tier to the top flight. All of it captured on film.