Sydney FC is set to host Hollywood-backed Wrexham AFC in a pre-season friendly later this year – and the city could be the backdrop to a new season of the documentary that has propelled the Welsh club to international fame.
Sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations to bring the “Red Dragons” to Australia, who were not authorised to speak publicly, have told this masthead that they will play a match in Sydney against the Sky Blues in July.
No venue has been locked in, but the friendly will form part of Wrexham’s preparations for their upcoming campaign in the English Championship, having confirmed their place in the second-tier competition with a 3-0 home victory against Charlton Athletic on the weekend.
That result clinched automatic promotion from England’s League One – making them the first club in history to clinch three consecutive promotions in the English Football League – and will put the club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney just one step from the Premier League.
Previously beset by financial issues, Reynolds and McElhenney bought Wrexham in 2020 and helped it attract a global following through their Disney+ series Welcome to Wrexham, which documents the club’s rise from the English fifth division and the actors’ crash-course education in how much the game and the club matter to its locale.
While it’s unclear if Reynolds and McElhenney will accompany the team on its forthcoming tour, it’s expected that camera crews for Welcome to Wrexham will travel to capture footage for the show. Wrexham is also set to play a match against Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium and another in New Zealand – likely against Auckland FC.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds celebrate Wrexham’s latest promotion.Credit: Getty Images
Welcome to Wrexham has significant viewership in Australia, ranking as the third-largest audience in the world for the series, behind only the United States and the United Kingdom.
This will be just the second time Wrexham will have embarked on a major pre-season tour abroad; they played sold-out friendlies in the USA against Chelsea and Manchester United ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Whether the Red Dragons can take the next step in their progression and join those clubs in the world’s biggest league remains to be seen.
“We were standing there doing a press conference four years ago, and said our goal is to make it to the Premier League,” Reynolds told Sky Sports after Wrexham’s promotion to the Championship was confirmed.
“And there was understandably a lot of titters and laughter and giggles, but it starts to feel like a real, tangible thing that could actually come to fruition in this moment.”
The friendly will also create global exposure for Sydney FC, particularly if the match forms part of an episode of Welcome to Wrexham, but the A-League club has more immediate worries: currently seventh on the ladder, they must secure at least a draw against Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Saturday to qualify for the finals and keep their season alive.
