Wrexham FC: are owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney playing for football club, fixtures - how to watch

Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney who bought National League football club Wrexham in 2021, will make their onfield debuts for the team they co-chair later this year.

They won’t quite be hoping to score a screamer at Wembley should Wrexham make the National League play-off final though. Instead, they have been included in the team’s initial roster for a seven-a-side competition scheduled to take place this summer in the US.

Wrexham’s squad will include club legends and personalities seen in fly-on-the-wall documentary series Welcome to Wrexham. The famous duo are expected to participate in matches alongside Wrexham player-coach David Jones and former players Paul Rutherford, Shaun Pearson and Mark Carrington.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is happening?

The Soccer Tournament (TST), a winner-takes-all event in Cary, North Carolina that will see 32 teams vying for a one million US dollar (£831,000) prize, will take place from 1 - 4 June.

Wrexham confirmed their participation in the tournament earlier this month, joining a field that already includes former Fulham and Tottenham midfielder Clint Dempsey’s Team Dempsey, popular British football and esports club Hashtag United, historic Liga MX side Club Nexaca, and US Women, made up of former US internationals and managed by Heather O’Reilly.

All but one of the tournament’s team slots are filled - in March, that last spot will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

If Wrexham wins the grand prize, the club has pledged to donate half of the proceeds to community projects. But however well they fare in the competition, the sight of Reynolds and McElhenney lacing up their boots and taking to the field will no doubt make for enjoyable viewing as part of Welcome To Wrexham.

The club has gained international recognition thanks to the fly-on-the-wall documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, and taking part in The Soccer Tournament is seen as a chance to maintain that.

Where can I watch it?

Broadcast details for the The Soccer Tournament have not yet been confirmed.

The competition is being run by TBT Enterprises, who started The Basketball Tournament (TBT) 10 years ago, and is replicating the event for football this year.

The Basketball Tournament began similarly as a 32-team winner-take-all competition, but has since expanded to a 64-team tournament that draws the best players from around the globe and is broadcast on ESPN.

Closer to home, Wrexham’s social media team will no doubt be working tirelessly to keep fans on this side of the Atlantic up-to-date with all the friendly on-pitch action from the WakeMed Soccer Park in North Carolina. And, as mentioned, upcoming episodes of Welcome to Wrexham are sure to feature Reynolds and McElhenney’s on pitch antics.