Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Buy Stake in 2nd Soccer Team After the Ongoing Success of Wrexham AFC
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are at it again. The dynamic duo has bought another soccer team following the success of Wrexham AFC.
Variety broke the news on Monday, April 29, that Reynolds, 47, and McElhenney, 47, invested in Mexico’s Club Necaxa soccer club. The pair purchased a stake in the team, which is also coowned by Eva Longoria.
Reynolds and McElhenney will work closely with Longoria, 49, Al Tylis and Sam Porter, who are also investors in the team. The plan is to “to enhance Club Necaxa’s standing and grow its profile in international sports circles at a time of heightened TV and streaming demand for soccer content,” Variety reported.
The news of Reynolds and McElhenney’s latest sports investment comes weeks after the Wrexham AFC 2023–2024 season came to an end. On April 13, the Wrexham Red Dragons defeated the Forest Green Rovers 6-0 and secured a promotion to the EFL’s League One. This marked the team’s second promotion in two years.
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“A few years ago, if you had told me I would be crying tears of joy over a football match taking place in North Wales, you would be @robmcelhenney,” Reynolds captioned an Instagram post at the time. “Congrats to @wrexham_afc and to my co-chairman in crime. Double up the town! This is the ride of our lives. ??????????????."
When Reynolds and McElhenney purchased the Wrexham Football Club in 2020, their goal was to get the team promoted from the National League to the English Football League. After three years, Wrexham was officially promoted to the EFL’s League Two in April 2023 — marking their first promotion in 15 years.
Reynolds and McElhenney’s trials and tribulations with the team have been showcased on the FX docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, which premiered in August 2022. The second season finale, which aired in November 2023, showed the team’s initial EFL promotion.
“Rob and I kinda blacked out during this moment, but somehow we’ll never forget it,” Reynolds shared on Instagram, celebrating the big move.
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Reynolds and McElhenney are set to return along with Welcome to Wrexham season 3, which will give the soccer team their Rocky movie moment. At least, according to the trailer released earlier this month.
“Rocky I, he loses. Season 1, we lost,” McElhenney said during the April 19 trailer, talking about Sylvester Stallone’s film franchise. “Rocky II, he wins. Season 2, we won. Now, here we are in season 3.”
Welcome to Wrexham premieres via FX on Thursday, May 2, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with episodes streaming the following day on Hulu.
