Wrexham face Championship reality check as second-season hurdles loom in chase for Premier League promotion

With spending down and key players departed, Phil Parkinson's side must defy the odds once again to secure a Premier League promotion

Aug 6, 2026 at 6:21 pm ET • 4 min read

The Wrexham Dragons, driven by Welcome to Wrexham fame, have had a serious preseason tour stateside, getting ready for the follow-up to their debut Championship season, but manager Phil Parkinson acknowledges that the second season can be harder than the first. They'll kick off the season in strange fashion, facing Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup. The cup challenge will certainly be easier than pre-season, which saw them face Wisla Krakow, Manchester United, Leeds United, Liverpool and Sunderland.

But even without winning any of those games, they're stern tests to help prepare Wrexham for the grind of the season while also getting to experience the United States and a fan base that has grown to bring on a global stature. Facing Sunderland in Philadelphia, the cheers for Wrexham were loud every time that they had a chance. Some of that is due to co-owner Rob Mac being a Philadelphia native (and one of the stars of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), but this documentary derby showcased two teams who had chances to build global fan bases.

"It's not every year at every club you can experience a tour around the States, and to appreciate the fans as well who have traveled miles all from the States to get to these games. Yeah, it's a really enjoyable experience," Wrexham defender Dominic Hyam said about the tour.

A team with a Hollywood story, and three straight promotions before last seaon to back it up, expectations are high on Wrexham, especially after finishing only two points out of a playoff place in their inaugural season in the second division. When you strip things down, though, by expected goal difference, Wrexham would've placed 15th with their -5.55 expected goal difference. Sure, that's better than Hull City being promoted while coming in 23rd by that metric, and in the Championship crazy things happen, but it's not a statistic that exactly calls for confidence.

Just surviving the drop in their first season is an impressive feat though, let alone challenging for promotion. But this season, taking into account that newly demoted West Ham United have kept star Jarrod Bowen and Wolverhampton also keeping most of their squad together, while Wrexham had a quiet offseason, only adding right back Danny Irmay to the squad so far, the task of climbing to the Premier League may have gotten harder.

Last season, they spent €39.09 million on new additions, but that figure has dropped to €5.82 million in year two. Getting to the Championship, Wrexham were able to outspend their opposition thanks to their TV documentary revenue, but they aren't able to do that at this level, contending with squads either spending to get to the Premier League or receiving parachute payments from being relegated from the top flight. This is where manager Phil Parkinson's leadership is critical. He has been the great equalizer with this team, and as long as he's on the sidelines, there will be a chance to defy the odds. He's seen the team rise from non-league soccer to the second division, and completing that journey is something that will absolutely appeal to the Englishman.

"That is a thing where people say the second season is harder, and I think the league's going to be stronger this year. However, I feel that it's been good for us to have all the players we signed last summer together. We didn't have that last preseason because we signed them all as the transfer window was progressing," Parkinson said. "So it's good to have everybody together. There's more to come from this group, and hopefully, we'll make a few additions along the way as well."

Parkinson knows the pressure that surrounds this group, but the part about more additions being needed is important. There's already a chance that last they've reached the peak of what can be done under current ownership, and with 'Super' Paul Mullin now gone to Rotherham United, some of the original links from the original promotion to fully professional soccer are gone. This comes with the territory of what Wrexham are doing, and when the goal of the Premier League is so close but so far at the same time, it's something that everyone will strive toward during the season.

"The expectation in-house is high standards," Hyam said. "We know we ultimately fell a little bit short last year; we wanted to get in the playoffs at least. But you know the hunger is there, the desire is there, and more importantly, I think the quality is there. We know we're really good players, we're a good team, and we believe in each other."

Belief is another thing that a manager like Parkinson can instill in the squad, but it also helps that the Racecourse Ground is full of more than 10,000 fans every game looking to cheer their team on to victory. it'll be tough to make the sequel as good as the original season for Wrexham, but if they've shown anything, it's that the club can't be doubted. Every challenge that they've faced has been one that they've gotten past, and even if the Dragons can't spend their way out of the Championship, Parkinson has shown that his management can make a difference. 

A grueling U.S. tour will help add to their preparedness, and getting to start the season with a competitive cup match also isn't bad at all. Only time will tell if consistency from last season to this season will be enough to improve their standing, but if it isn't, this isn't a club that has stood pat when they can make changes, so the Dragons will push for a playoff run.