On Saturday night, the Vancouver Whitecaps Major League Soccer team will host Wrexham AFC — the Welsh soccer club co-owned by actor Ryan Reynolds.
Reynolds, originally from Vancouver, purchased the club alongside fellow actor Rob McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2020.
The team had been languishing in English soccer’s fifth tier at the time but, under the new ownership, has made its way up several levels to League One, as documented in the Emmy award-winning series Welcome to Wrexham.
The Whitecaps say they are expecting 30,000 spectators at B.C. Place when the game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT.
Here’s what you need to know.
Who are Wrexham?
Founded in 1864, Wrexham is the oldest professional soccer club in Wales and the third oldest in the world.
Despite die-hard fans, the club fell into hard times at the beginning of the 21st century, and it was relegated to one of the lowest tiers of English soccer as the 2007-08 season came to a close.
One year after an unexpected investment by Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds, a Welsh soccer team, Wrexham AFC, has racked up new sponsorships and moved up the league rankings — all while attracting international attention.
After being purchased by Reynolds and McElhenney, the team began its recovery, securing back-to-back promotions to higher levels of play and attracting international fans through the ongoing television series about its rise.
Why are they playing the Whitecaps?
Through their new owners and new fame, Wrexham have had several opportunities to play against teams in North America.
In 2023, it faced off against the Philadelphia Union II, the affiliate team for Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, in McElhenney’s hometown, finishing with a 1-1 draw.
Their game against the Whitecaps is the last in a series of road games in the club’s “2024 Wrex Coast Tour,” which also saw them finish with a pair of draws against English Premier League teams at exhibition matches in California.
In a statement released in April, Reynolds said he had pushed for a game in Vancouver.
“Last year, Rob got to bring Wrexham to Philly. This year, it’s my turn,” he said. “I am so excited my hometown club the Whitecaps will get to square off against the Red Dragons,” as the club is known.
Does the game matter?
Although it won’t count toward any official standings, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said the game will be critical in preparing his team for its upcoming season in the English Football League One.
“By then, we’ll be looking to get as near as we can to full fitness. So it’ll be interesting in terms of playing [a Major League Soccer] team, the standard,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press in April. “Sometimes it’s difficult to judge different leagues around the world. But I’m sure it’ll be a great game for us and for them to test ourselves.”
The game will also be the team’s first in Canada as it continues to nurture a new global fan base.
Wrexham AFC will be in co-owner Ryan Reynolds’s hometown of Vancouver to play the Whitecaps on July 27. Manager Phil Parkinson and executive director Humphrey Ker speak about the upcoming game and what it’s like to be on a TV series — Welcome to Wrexham — about the Welsh soccer club.
For the Whitecaps, the high-profile game could be a chance to attract new fans — particularly after Argentinian football star Lionel Messi disappointed them by skipping the game when his team, Miami FC, played in the city in May.
On Friday, head coach Vanni Sartini told reporters he had only seen a handful of episodes of Welcome to Wrexham, but it was enough for him to understand the value of the platform being offered when his squad squares off against the Welsh side.
“A lot of the fans that [will be] here are Whitecaps fans that come regularly,” Sartini said Friday. “But maybe some of them are coming because they’re fans of the documentary, or they hope to see if Ryan Reynolds is coming.
“We have a big chance to appeal to a group of people that maybe aren’t following the Whitecaps closely every week. I think we have a responsibility to put on the best show possible.”
It is also their final game before taking part in the Leagues Cup, a tournament that pits MLS teams from Canada and the United States against Mexico’s main soccer league Liga MX.
The team then has 10 more regular-season games before heading into the playoffs. Vancouver is currently ranked five of 14 in MLS’s western conference.
Will Ryan Reynolds be there?
The question of whether Reynolds himself would attend was answered on Friday when the star posted on Instagram, “In Vancouver to watch @wrexham_afc play tomorrow.”
His presence was also confirmed by Wrexham manager Parkinson.
In his post, Reynolds shared a video promoting his new movie Deadpool & Wolverine, which he premiered earlier this week in Toronto, speaking to CBC News about the movie’s Canadian identity.
“They’re Canadian,” he said, referring to the fact the characters of both Deadpool and Wolverine are originally from Canada, according to comic book lore.
“They’re Canadian characters. What an opportunity to have two hugely iconic superheroes enter the MCU and do it draped in maple syrup.”
In his post to Instagram this week, he said how pleased he was to see people come together to enjoy both movies and sports, a reminder that “none of us are alone.”
“I think him and Rob have been incredible for, not just the club and the town, but for the whole league, really,” said Wrexham defender Eoghan O’Connell. “Kind of opening people’s eyes to what can be done when you have owners that really care and really want to work and put into the club.
“And, yeah, they’re the same behind the scenes.”
Whether fans will have a chance to meet Reynolds is unknown: The Whitecaps said the pre-game party will begin at Robson and Beatty at 1:30 p.m. PT, and fans interested in getting photographs and autographs from players should arrive by 2 p.m..
As for who Reynolds will be cheering for on Saturday?
“My official stance on the match will be a very friendly ‘neutral,” he said in his April statement.
Who will (and won’t) be playing?
Striker Paul Mullin, Wrexham’s top scorer from each of the last three seasons, did not make this year’s trip to North America. He underwent minor spinal surgery in June to correct a lower back and hamstring issue and will miss the beginning of the League One season.
The Whitecaps will be without their captain, Ryan Gauld, who suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his left knee in the first half of the Whitecaps’ 4-3 loss to the Houston Dynamo last Saturday. Fafa Picault, who has four goals in his last three matches, will also be unavailable due to league-mandated time off.
What about the turf?
For longtime Vancouver soccer fans, another item of interest Saturday afternoon will be the ground: usually, the Whitecaps home games are played on artificial turf installed in B.C. Place.
But at Wrexham’s request, that has been replaced with real grass for the match. Though temporary, the process is helping the stadium’s technical team gather information ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. B.C. Place will host seven matches for that tournament, all on grass.
