Wrexham have returned to the English Football League for the first time since 2008, with the Welsh side having won the National League title in 2023.
The Red Dragons have seen their popularity soar since 2021 following the club’s shock takeover by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Increased investment and a sense of wellbeing at the Racecourse Ground have propelled Phil Parkinson’s team to the third tier of England’s professional football leagues amid ambitious plans in north Wales.
Reynolds has made no secret of his desire to take Wrexham up the football pyramid with the possibility of a Premier League place not ruled out.
What league do Wrexham play in?
Wrexham play in League One, where they will be aiming for three consecutive promotions to reach the Championship, just one league below the Premier League.
The pathway to the Premier League looks like this: promotion from League Two (4th tier) leads to League One (3rd tier), then the EFL Championship (2nd tier), and finally the Premier League (1st tier).
That day in 1978…
One of the greatest days in Wrexham’s history as we secured promotion to the Second Division with a 7-1 win over Rotherham!#WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/vuWn4XMp6T
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) April 22, 2022
Can Wrexham reach the Premier League?
Wrexham reaching the Premier League would be nothing short of incredible, considering they have spent most of the century in the 5th Division, and it would take a few years of steady progress and promotion up the pyramid to finally reach the top tier.
The difficulty of progressing through the EFL (League Two) to the Premier League can be daunting, even for teams with more experience in league football, but Reynolds remains ambitious.
A route to the Premier League would open up new opportunities for the National League as the financial gap between the top flight and the EFL Championship (second tier) continues to grow year on year.
Clubs promoted from the National League to the Premier League
The only team to have been promoted from the National League to the Premier League is Luton Town as they achieved this feat in 2023.
However, five other clubs made the jump from the fifth division to the top flight before 1992, when the league was known as the “English First Division” before the advent of the Premier League era:
- Carlisle United
- Leyton Orient
- Oxford United
- Grimsby Town
- Notts County
The path from League Two to the Premier League has been trodden – and will keep Reynolds’ hopes alive – with current Premier League teams including Brentford, Brighton & Hove AlbionAnd Bournemouth on the list.
The most impressive rise from League Two to the Premier League has been Brentford’s elevation from obscurity to Premier League level.
After slipping to fourth in 2007/08, the Bees climbed back up the table with promotion to League One (third tier) in 2009.
This was followed by a Championship place in 2014 and a first-ever Premier League place sealed in 2021 – a turnaround that took 14 years to happen.
A long climb to the ?#ThisDay In 2009 we gained promotion to League 2 at Darlington#BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/X6K7mw12GQ
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) April 25, 2022
