We’re not sure if you’ve heard much about Wrexham over the past few years, but turns out they’re quite a big deal around the world now – and their new-found global appeal could soon get the chance to see them playing in European competition.
The Welsh club have been transformed since Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought them as a National League club, and they are now pushing for promotion to the Championship.
But they may not need to wait to reach the Premier League before they can go fully Football Manager by making it into Europe under new plans drawn up by the Football Association of Wales.
Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham included in revamped Welsh League Cup plans
Welsh clubs playing in the English league system have not competed in the Welsh Cup since 1995, when UEFA ruled that the winners of the competition would no longer receive a Cup Winners’ Cup place if the five such clubs were permitted to compete.
Those sides – Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City, Wrexham and the former Merthyr Tydfil FC, now Merthyr Town – have never played in the Welsh League Cup, given that… well, they don’t play in the Welsh league.
However, the FAW have offered an invitation to the four EFL sides to enter the Welsh League Cup, with a place in the qualifying rounds of a UEFA club competition on the line.
The proposal is still subject to English FA approval, but the four clubs have agreed to join if they are given permission to do so.
The quartet would join the 12 Cymru Premier clubs in the cup – but would have to sacrifice their eligibility to qualify for Europe via English competitions to do so.
That has only happened once before, after Swansea City won the English League Cup in 2013. Given that the Swans are currently the highest-ranked of the four at 12th place in the Championship, that seems to be a sacrifice they are willing to make.
Wales are represented in Europe this season by The New Saints, who have made it to the league phase of the Conference League.
They currently sit 32nd in the 36 team table, eight places shy of making it to the next round, with one win from six games.
