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Actors and Wrexham AFC owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought a minority stake in Liga MX side Club Necaxa, Variety and Sportico reported on Monday.
The pair joins celebrity minority owners such as actor Eva Longoria, Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, model Kate Upton and NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
It is unclear what role RR McReynolds’ company has with Necaxa, although the pairing is expected to bring many of the hallmarks that have made Welsh club Wrexham a worldwide brand, including potential records similar to Welcome to Wrexham, pending rights issues with the club’s broadcast partner Necaxa.
Liga MX, Mexico’s top flight, was the biggest soccer draw in the US until 2023. The Premier League has since ended The Mexican league is the most-watched league in the US, but Liga MX continues to draw the same TV figures as big Premier League matches. The 2023 Apertura final between America and Tigres drew the same number of viewers as a Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool in the same season, both attracting 2.3m viewers in the US.
With the growth of the Premier League, Liga MX now ranks second in US viewership, ahead of the Bundesliga, the German top flight and Major League Soccer.
Based in Aguascalientes, Club Necaxa is more than 100 years old. Americans Al Tailis and Sam Porter led the group that bought a 50% stake in the club in 2021, and in 2022, other investors joined the stake, reportedly worth more than $200m. According to Sportico, Reynolds and McElhenney are joining as part of that group.
Since taking over McElhenney-Reynolds in February 2021, the pair have contributed to worldwide attention for Wrexham. The FX show, which has two seasons with a third series set to air in May, has won five Emmys, including best unstructured reality program.
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The club was promoted to League One, the third division of English soccer, earlier this month a 6-0 win over Forest Green. “If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be crying tears of joy over a football match in North Wales, you’d have been Rob McElhenney.” Reynolds wrote At X after the club secured promotion. “Congratulations to Wrexham and my co-chairs in crime. Double the town! It’s the ride of our lives.”
It was the club’s second promotion in two years under Reynolds and McElhenney’s ownership.
Wrexham recently announced a pre-season tour of the US in July. They play Bournemouth in Santa Barbara on July 20, Chelsea in Santa Clara on July 24 and Vancouver White Caps on July 27.
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