Success on the field equals success off the field in soccer, and Wrexham stands to benefit from promotion.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s arrival in Wrexham has enlivened the English Football League, as their charisma and Hollywood status have undoubtedly added to the glamour of the competitions in which they compete.
The club aspires to reach – and even win – the Premier League, and recently took another step toward that goal, securing promotion to the Championship, with The Red Dragons making back-to-back promotions.
While the Premier League remains the ultimate goal, promotion to the Championship is still rewarding, and comes with financial benefits. Here, GOAL looks at how much Wrexham could earn after leaving League One.
EFL payments & TV money increase
Championship clubs received approximately £11 million ($14.6 million) each in 2024-25 for their participation in the league, and Wrexham will receive a similar payment in 2025-26.
The payment consists of a basic award plus a solidarity payment from the Premier League and is significantly larger than that received by teams in League One (£2 million) and League Two (£1.5 million).
Of course, Wrexham expects their costs to rise in 2025-26 as they compete, but the EFL payment will help to offset any increases.
Shirt sales & retail boost
Reynolds and McElhenney have built a financial juggernaut in Wrexham that shows no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by the announcement of record turnover back in March.
The club’s turnover for the year was £26.725 million ($35.5 million), a staggering 155% increase from the previous year’s turnover of £10.478 million ($14 million).
They can expect more retail sales now that they are in the Championship, following a £1 million increase last year.
Matchday revenue increased to £5 million from just over £3 million last season, and with a whole new group of teams to compete in the new league, we can reasonably expect there to be more intrigue for both away and home fans.
More lucrative games against bigger teams
In 2025-26, Wrexham will play teams with much higher profile than those they faced in League One.
For example, the Red Dragons will face Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City, Middlesbrough, and fellow Welsh club Swansea City in a game that promises to be exciting due to the local rivalry.
They will also face Leicester City (Premier League champions in 2016), Southampton, and former UEFA Cup winners Ipswich Town, all of whom were recently relegated from the Premier League.
Each of these games should draw sell-out crowds to the Racecourse Ground.
While Wrexham will continue to compete in the Carabao Cup in the first round in 2025-26, they will enter the FA Cup in the third round, where they will face Premier League clubs – another potentially lucrative area.
Stronger commercial power
While Reynolds and McElhenney’s involvement (along with the documentary) provided a base level of interest for sponsors, promotion to the Championship means games against larger teams (with larger fanbases), increased TV exposure, and so on. All of this indicates that Wrexham’s commercial power has grown significantly.
Last year, the club’s commercial revenue increased from £1.9 million to just over £13 million, and while future growth is difficult to predict, it is expected. Thanks to promotion and the aforementioned factors, Wrexham now has a stronger bargaining position while also becoming more appealing to brands, particularly those from the United States.
Playing at a higher level – just one rung below the Premier League – makes the club a more appealing destination for footballers, though this will result in increased spending on wages and transfers.
