Are Wrexham on the way to the Premier League?

It feels inevitable that Wrexham will play in the Premier League someday, even if the path from here to there remains uncertain.

Every cup run, every viral tweet, every Deadpool cameo brings them one step closer to relevance in the English game.

For all the Americanisation of football, the Todd Boehly clearouts at Chelsea that saw senior figures like Raheem Sterling and Thomas Tuchel cast aside, for every conversation about ticket price increases and corporate greed, Wrexham are the example of how to get it right.

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds took over with big dreams and bigger pockets, and with the club sat on the periphery of the playoff places in the Championship at the time of writing, this is an ownership model that exists to make money, yes, but also to give back to a small town in Wales that has always stuck by its team. The cynic might argue this is all branding, but the results speak louder than suspicion.

Wrexham’s odds of promotion are still 14/1, but the Hollywood story would be in full effect if the Dragons roar their way into the Premier League.

Speaking to Gambling.com, a best UK online casino and independent sports betting comparison platform, one Wrexham fan said: “It’s the best thing to ever happen to us, and stuff like this never happens to us. We feel so privileged, it’s like we won the lottery.”

It was not always this way at Wrexham. Not even close.

The rise from oblivion

Wrexham’s modern ascent has been built on survival, smart investment, and sustained momentum.

After 87 years in the Football League, relegation in 2008 saw the club spend over a decade in the National League, kept afloat by supporter ownership but restricted by limited financial resources.

Administration threatened to close the doors permanently, and for years, the Racecourse Ground felt like a graveyard for ambition.

That changed in November 2020 when McElhenney and Reynolds completed their takeover, bringing fresh capital, global attention, and a full-time structure behind the scenes.

What began as a curious vanity project quickly became something far more serious.

The impact became clear in 2022-23 as Wrexham stormed to the National League title with a record points total, ending their long exile from the EFL.

Back-to-back promotions followed in League Two and League One, driven by consistent recruitment, squad stability, and an ability to adapt to higher standards of competition.

By the start of this season, Wrexham had reached the Championship, marking one of the fastest climbs in modern English football.

What began as a rescue project has now evolved into a serious long-term sporting operation.

The question is whether that momentum can carry them one step further.

Can they cut it at the top?

There is still a long way to go between now and the playoffs, and romantic narratives do not survive contact with the Championship’s brutal reality.

This is one of the toughest leagues in Europe because escaping it requires either vast wealth or sustained excellence, and sometimes both.

Queens Park Rangers once had the same deep pockets, and now they have been stuck in second-tier purgatory for over a decade.

Promotion is hard enough. Staying there is harder. Wrexham need to get real. It’s not an episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and the dog does not always have its day.

There will come a time when the club suffers a setback, and they may not make the playoffs this season. That is acceptable in the grand scheme of what they have achieved.

The question is whether it will deter the American fanbase who watch the documentary on Disney+.

How many seasons in the second tier can they take before the narrative gets boring and they move on?

It sounds cynical, but with the Americanisation of the Premier League and the nature of its business model, there is always a risk that interest fades when success stalls.

McElhenney and Reynolds have invested emotionally as well as financially, but they are still businessmen running a brand.

Wrexham’s current squad is competitive at Championship level, but the gap between the second tier and the Premier League is vast.

Clubs with parachute payments, established academies, and decades of infrastructure dominate the top flight.

Wrexham would need to punch above their weight consistently for years to establish themselves, and history suggests most promoted clubs struggle to survive their first season.

The romantic possibility

Wrexham is loved because the owners invest in the community, and that connection could take them to the top.

Imagine Liverpool and Manchester City playing at the Racecourse’s intimate setting, a ground where supporters are close enough to the pitch to feel every tackle and hear every shout.

The cameras love it there already, and the atmosphere would be unlike anything else in the Premier League.

The question is whether this group have what it takes. Kieffer Moore has to keep scoring.

The owners have to keep showing commitment, the supporters show loyalty, and the players deliver results.

But the Premier League demands more than passion and good intentions.

Wrexham’s story is compelling because it feels possible. Three consecutive promotions have proven that momentum can overcome obstacles, and the infrastructure is being built to sustain success rather than chase it recklessly.

Whether that translates into Premier League football remains uncertain, but the trajectory suggests it is no longer a fantasy.

For now, Wrexham sit on the edge of the Championship playoffs, one good run from reaching the promised land.

The Hollywood script would have them promoted this season, but real life rarely follows the screenplay.

What matters is that Wrexham have given themselves a chance, and in a sport where so many clubs are left behind, that alone is worth celebrating.