When Ryan Reynolds and Hollywood buddy bought Wrexham for £2 million in February 2021, the club was in the play-off spot in the amateur league National League. A fun investment, many thought, but three years later, Wrexham are aiming to play in Europe.
Promotion to League Two, then directly to League One. This season, the Red Dragons are second in League One after 18 games, a third promotion in a row is well within reach. At the same time, work is being done to open the door to a shortcut to play in the Conference League.
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Ryan Reynolds and the gang are not known for waiting for opportunities, here they have to create opportunities.
Wrexham and Wales’ three other English football league clubs – Swansea City, Cardiff City and Newport County – could all get a potential new route into European competition as a result of an initiative called Project Cymru (Project Wales). Swansea commissioned the project on behalf of all four clubs and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) following an independent report by consulting firm Deloitte.
Wrexham, Swansea, Cardiff and Newport are asking to play in the Welsh League Cup instead of the English equivalent. Currently, there is no European spot on offer for the winners of the Welsh League Cup – commercially known as the Nathaniel MG Cup – but a revamp of the competition has been proposed that will change that.
Conference League qualification will be the reward for success in the Welsh League Cup if Project Wales is approved. According to The Athletic, the new format could be in place from the start of the 2025-26 season.
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“Bringing European football back to Wrexham would be fantastic,” Red Dragons boss Phil Parkinson has said of the potential “shock opportunity”.
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