How Wrexham Can Get Promoted to the Premier League
Wrexham have got a taste for the big time and their Hollywood goal of reaching the Premier League promised land is now in sight.
The club’s financial supremacy, thanks to celebrity investment from Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, has undeniably left them with a notable advantage over their rivals amid a meteoric rise from National League to second tier EFL Championship, but that shouldn’t take away from what the historic Welsh club has been able to achieve in such a short space of time.
Money helps, of course, but there are many case studies that prove it doesn’t guarantee success.
Their streak of promotions was expected to come to an end in the EFL Championship, with many bookmakers in preseason projecting a mid-table finish. Yet with one game left to play in 2025–26, the Red Dragons sit in sixth place, with one foot in the playoffs.
Wrexham’s fate will be sealed on the final matchday when they take on Middlesbrough at home, where one magical win could get Phil Parkinson’s men one step closer to the Premier League.
How Wrexham Can Get Promoted to the Premier League
At the end of the 2025–26 season, the two teams with the most points in the Championship automatically get promoted to the Championship. League winners Coventry City already booked their place in the English top-flight, and Ipswich Town and Millwall are battling for second place.
The good news for the Red Dragons is that they can still compete in the playoffs to earn a spot in the Premier League. The teams that finish third, fourth, fifth and sixth in the standings qualify for the playoffs.
Currently level on 70 points with seventh-place Hull City, Wrexham must collect three points in their last match of the season to give themselves the best chance of holding onto the final place in the playoffs.
Should Parkinson’s side only manage a draw with Middlesbrough or suffer a defeat, then Hull City can sneak into sixth place with a win over Norwich City in their final match.
If both Wrexham and Hull muster the same result—a win, loss or draw—then they will remain level on points, which means the final playoff spot will be determined by goal difference. The Red Dragons currently have the edge with a +4 goal differential to the Tigers’ +3.
EFL Championship Playoffs Format
Wrexham haven’t yet familiarized themselves with the EFL playoffs, having secured automatic promotion into League One and the Championship. However, the Welsh club could find itself in the post-season with a spot in the Premier League at stake during their first crack at the second tier.
The playoff format in the Championship is simple, with the four teams that finish between and including third and sixth involved. Third faces sixth and fourth takes on fifth over two legs, with the winners of these semifinals advancing into the final, regarded as “soccer’s richest game."
The winner of the Championship playoff final will then secure their place in the following season’s Premier League, joining the two automatically promoted sides in the English top-flight in 2026–27.
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