What League Is Wrexham in? Format and How Wrexham Can Get Promoted | OneFootball

Wrexham rose to global fame after the success of the Emmy-award winning docuseries, Welcome to Wrexham, and now fans across the globe are tuning in to watch the Red Dragons player soccer.

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham in 2020, the club was stuck in the National League. Playing in the English Football League (EFL) seemed like an impossible dream at the time, but the Red Dragons defied the odds and secured back-to-back promotions.

The highs and lows of the club were all captured in Welcome to Wrexham, and even the most casual of soccer fans began rooting for the oldest club in Wales. The details of the EFL can be confusing for new viewers, though, especially with the next season of the docuseries still a ways away.

Here's everything you need to know about Wrexham's current place in English soccer.

What League Is Wrexham in?

McElhenney and Reynolds purchased Wrexham in 2020. / PA Images/IMAGO

Wrexham is in League One, the third tier of English soccer. The Red Dragons secured promotion to the league after finishing second in League Two last season.

Wrexham have not competed in League One since 2004. The Red Dragons only spent one season in the league before they got relegated back to League Two after finishing in 22nd place. It took over two decades for the club to get back to League One, but they are now thriving.

EFL League One Format

League One consists of 24 teams. There are 46 matches in a single season that begins in August and ends in May. Each club will face every other team in the league twice—once at home and once away.

For every win, a team receives three points. Draws result in one point, and a loss sends a team home with zero points. The points from every match are collected and compiled into a table that features the standings of all 24 teams.

The bottom four teams with the least amount of points at the end of the season will be relegated to League Two. Those four spots will then go to the teams that earned promotion to League One.

The top six teams in League One all have a chance to get promoted to the Championship. The teams that finish in first and second place automatically get a spot in the Championship. The clubs that finish third, fourth, fifth and sixth in the standings qualify for the playoffs.

The winner of the playoffs will become the third and final team promoted to the second tier of English soccer.

How Can Wrexham Get Promoted to the EFL Championship?

Wrexham have their sights set on playing in the EFL Championship next season. / Wrexham_AFC on X

For Wrexham to automatically get promoted to the Championship, they must finish as one of the top two teams in League One. In recent years, the first and second place teams have earned anywhere from 90 to 100 points. Currently, the Red Dragons' biggest competition are Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers.

If Wrexham do not eclipse either team, they will still get the chance to compete in the playoffs as long as they finish third, fourth, fifth or sixth in the standings. The playoffs consist of two semifinals in which the third place and the sixth place teams play one another, while the fourth place team plays the fifth place team.

Each semifinal is a two-legged tie, and the two teams that come out on top will play in the final at Wembley Stadium. The winner of the match earns promotion to the Championship.