Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Buy a Soccer Team in 'Welcome to Wrexham': How to Watch the Documentary Called a 'Real-Life Ted Lasso'
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Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney star in Welcome to Wrexham, which chronicles their purchase of the Wrexham Football Club, as well as the aftermath and realities of owning a soccer team overseas.
The Deadpool and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars announced their purchase in a joint statement in February 2021.
"It is a special day for the two of us to become the latest stewards in the long and storied history of Wrexham AFC," Reynolds and McElhenney said. "Together with the players, the staff, the fans, and the local community, we can now pursue our goal to grow the team and return it to the EFL in front of increased attendances, and in an improved stadium, while making a positive difference to the wider community in Wrexham."
Get to know everything about Welcome to Wrexham, including how to watch the Wrexham documentary and how much Reynolds and McElhenney paid for the team.
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Where can you watch Welcome to Wrexham?
Welcome to Wrexham will air on FX and stream next-day on Hulu. In a hilarious teaser released by the network, you can see McElhenney's It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia castmates Charlie Day, Danny DeVito, Glenn Howerton and Kaitlin Olson (also his wife!) and their European doppelgangers in a bar similar to Paddy's Pub as McElhenney and Reynolds get meta over a drink.
Did Ryan Reynolds buy a soccer team?
Reynolds did, in fact, buy a soccer team with McElhenney. In August 2022, Reynolds admitted on Jimmy Kimmel Live—which McElhenney was then guest-hosting—that he and wife Blake Lively didn't necessarily see eye to eye on the decision to buy Wrexham ... largely in part because he didn't tell her about it until after the deal was sealed.
"I remember seeing Blake and saying, 'I have bad news and I have really bad news. The bad news is I slipped into someone's DMs again. The really bad news is that I might have bought half of a fifth-tier national football league in Wales.' " He said her reaction was "not good," adding jokingly, "We're still working through that one."
How much did it cost to buy Wrexham?
According to CBS Sports, Reynolds and McElhenney invested £2 million to buy Wrexham. When converted to the current U.S. exchange rate, that amounts to about $2.42 million.
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What channel is the Wrexham documentary on?
The Wrexham documentary Welcome to Wrexham will air on FX. You can stream episodes on Hulu the day after they air.
Is Wrexham real?
Wrexham is real, and so is the drama (and hilarity!) surrounding Reynolds and McElhenney's purchase and management of the team. As they describe in the Welcome to Wrexham synopsis, "In 2020, Rob and Ryan teamed up to purchase the 5th tier Red Dragons in the hopes of turning the club into an underdog story the whole world could root for. The worry? Rob and Ryan have no experience in football or working with each other. From Hollywood to Wales, from the pitch to the locker room, the front office to the pub, Welcome to Wrexham will track Rob and Ryan’s crash course in football club ownership and the inextricably connected fates of a team and a town counting on two actors to bring some serious hope and change to a community that could use it."
Is Wrexham the oldest football club?
Wrexham isn't the oldest football club in the world, but it is the oldest football club in Wales. Founded in 1864, it's the third-oldest football club in the world.
Will Welcome to Wrexham be on Disney Plus?
Welcome to Wrexham will stream next-day on Hulu in the United States. U.K. fans will be able to stream Welcome to Wrexham on Disney+.
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When is the Welcome to Wrexham release date?
Welcome to Wrexham will premiere on FX on Aug. 24, 2022, in the United States, and stream the following day on Hulu. Viewers across the pond will be able to tune in on Aug. 25, 2022, via Disney+.
What happened to Wrexham?
Wrexham went into control of a supporters' trust in 2011 after the team neared bankruptcy. The 2,000 members of the trust voted overwhelmingly in Reynolds' and McElhenney's favor in terms of turning over control of the team, with 98% of the football club's trust happy to turn over control to the funny men, per The Athletic.
Spencer Harris, one of the trust's lead members, told The Athletic at the time of the sale, "It's an incredible story in the context of 2020. There's been so much bad news about deaths, families not able to see each other and people worried about their jobs but this is like a ray of sunshine. It's just a nice story. But, personally, it will be a bit like a bereavement, as I've given the club so much time and it will leave a big hole in my life. I don't think they'll need it but I'll always be available if they need any help or advice."
After an eventful season, in late May 2022, Wrexham failed to advance in the playoffs, but did better overall than they had in a decade up to that point—and McElhenney promised it will only get even better from there.
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How did Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney meet?
Reynolds said he and McElhenney met when Reynolds slid into McElhenney's DMs!
"We met on social media. One time I looked in my Instagram DMs and he had DM'd me," McElhenney recalled during a BBC interview. "From that point forward we became friends and we would just text each other every once in a while."
They had never met in person before buying Wrexham together, which was McElhenney's idea.
"I was in the shower and I was thinking, you know he is super entrepreneurial, I wonder if he would be into coming in with me as a full partner because he could really raise the exposure of this thing exponentially," McElhenney said. "I got out of the shower and I said to Kaitlin, 'What if I ask Ryan to be a full partner, do you think he would do it?' She said, 'I guess that depends whether or not your ego can take sharing the screen with Ryan Reynolds.'"
McElhenney said he immediately and "furiously" emailed Reynolds, who replied promptly.
"He just said, 'I'm in, call me,'" said McElhenney. And the rest is soccer history.
