Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney Got Emotional Over Wrexham AFC’s Promotion

The wild ride Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been on as co-owners of the football club Wrexham AFC has reached new heights. With a win on Saturday, April 22, the team clinched the National League title and secured a promotion to the English Football League Two. It was exactly what the two actors and the club had been working toward, so needless to say, it was an emotional affair for them and their fans.

Reynolds and McElhenney showed just how much the win meant to them on social media afterward, each posting footage and some thoughts to both Twitter and Instagram. One of the more moving moments was captured by none other than Paul Rudd, the latest celebrity to join them in their box at the Racecourse stadium. He filmed Reynolds and McElhenney at the moment the clock hit zero and their victory became official. The two both appeared stunned and they exchanged multiple hugs as Wrexham fans cheered and swarmed the field.

“Rob and I kinda blacked out during this moment, but somehow we’ll never forget it,” Reynolds tweeted with the video he credited Rudd for on April 23.

McElhenney struggled to put his emotions into words. He first tweeted, “I have no words other than THANK YOU,” and later added a video of him crying with the champions banner, adding text to his Instagram story that joked, “Smoke must’ve gotten in my eyes.”

The feelings (and scents) were still fresh for Reynolds the day after the Wrexham victory. He shared several photos from their championship-winning game, and wrote, “Everything I own smells like champagne, beer and grass. I’m still somewhere between giggling and sobbing. This town and this sport is one of the most romantic things on earth. Thank you, @wrexham_afc.”

Wrexham’s promotion comes 15 years after the team was last in the Football League. Reynolds and McElhenney ultimately want to get the team promoted to the Premier League, three levels up, and their Hulu documentary series Welcome to Wrexham is bringing fans near and far along for the journey. Season 1 captured a near-miss as they fell short of nabbing the National League title in 2022, but the upcoming Season 2 will show what they hope is just the first of multiple promotions. So far, the co-owners haven’t announced the Season 2 premiere date; Season 1 arrived in August.

Wrexham’s big day was unfortunately a sad one for another team. Rochdale AFC’s loss confirmed the team has been relegated from League Two after a 102-year stay. The club called it “an extremely disappointing season” in a statement afterward but looked forward to bouncing back.