Wrexham opens next season against ex-Premier League side Southampton

By: James Robson, The Associated Press Posted: 8:08 AM CDT Thursday, Jun. 26, 2025

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Wrexham will play relegated Premier League team Southampton in its opening game of the season.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Wrexham will play relegated Premier League team Southampton in its opening game of the season.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/06/2025 (457 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Wrexham will play relegated Premier League team Southampton in its opening game of the season.

Wrexham will begin its first campaign in 43 years in English soccer’s second tier away at St Mary’s on Aug. 9.

The Welsh team has enjoyed a spectacular rise under celebrity co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Just two years ago, Wrexham was playing non-league soccer in England’s fifth tier.

FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)

After three straight promotions, it is one tier below the Premier League and faces a Southampton team that was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal last season.

The game will be screened live in the U.K., another sign of the growing interest in Wrexham.

Fixtures for the second-tier Championship were published on Thursday. Wrexham plays former Premier League champion Leicester on Sept. 30.

It plays Ipswich, also relegated from the top flight last season, on Nov. 22 and Sheffield United on Boxing Day.

The Championship is renowned as one of the toughest divisions in soccer. That was illustrated last season when Luton — in the Premier League a year before — dropped down to the third tier after back-to-back relegations.

___

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer