Ryan Reynolds shuts down talk of Wrexham's clash with Birmingham being played in the United States

06/25/2024 05:27 AM

Ryan Reynolds has confirmed no talks were held about Wrexham’s League One clash with Birmingham being played in the United States.

Reports this week suggested that the Blues’ American hierarchy made a request to play the League One clash in the US, but saw the proposition swiftly declined.

Had they been successful, the switch would have seen a competitive English fixture taken to outside of Britain for the first time.

An EFL spokesperson told talkSPORT.com that no formal request was made, something that has now been confirmed by Reynolds on X – formerly known as Twitter.

After one fan pointed out that such a move would go against the ‘Guiding Principles’ set out after their takeover, the Deadpool star replied saying: “I agree. And that's why there have been no talks.”

Rob McElhenney was asked about the prospect of facing Birmingham in the US during his appearance at the MLB in London.

He tantalisingly told talkSPORT.com: “The question is are we going to get Tom to come to us, or are we going to have to go to Tom? Maybe both?”

Birmingham were taken over by a US-based group last summer with NFL legend Tom Brady among those to become a minority investor.

Wrexham are owned by superstar American owners as well, with Hollywood duo Reynolds and McElhenney purchasing the Welsh club in 2020.

Back-to-back promotions have seen Wrexham climb from the National League to League One in just two seasons, with Phil Parkinson’s side set to mix it with some of English football’s most established names.

While Wrexham are already a household name across the pond thanks to their hit Disney Plus documentary, Birmingham are hoping to build their own fanbase around the world.

Playing in the US would have been a lucrative opportunity to attract new fans to a match that will have a maximum of 29,409 people – the capacity of St Andrews – in attendance.

Birmingham are preparing for life in the third-tier after they suffered relegation from the Championship last season.

Despite a strong start under John Eustace which put the Blues into play-off contention, the Blues sacked Eustace and replaced him with Wayne Rooney who only lasted 15 matches before being sacked himself.

Rooney’s replacement, Tony Mowbray, was placed on medical leave in February after a month in charge.

Gary Rowett took the reins on an interim basis in March, but could not get the Blues over the line despite reaching 50 points.

As a result, Birmingham will play in the third tier for the first time in 29 years.