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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Amanda Langell

Have Wrexham Ever Won the FA Cup?

Wrexham are shifting focus from their EFL Championship campaign and push towards the Premier League to pursue their FA Cup dreams.

The Red Dragons have experienced a meteoric rise in the last five years, going from the National League to England’s second tier in a storybook run that captured the hearts of fans worldwide. The club’s primary goal is to one day play in the English top flight and compete alongside the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Phil Parkinson’s men are still alive in the FA Cup this season as well, punching their tickets to the fourth round after a penalty shootout victory over Nottingham Forest. A win against Ipswich Town on Friday would send Wrexham to the last 16.

But has the oldest club in Wales ever topped the world’s oldest national football competition?


Have Wrexham Ever Won the FA Cup?

Wrexham, FA Cup
Wrexham are still alive in the FA Cup. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Despite being known as cup “giant killers,” Wrexham have never hoisted the FA Cup. The club’s best finishes in the competition are three quarter-final appearances, which came in 1973–74, 1977–78 and 1996–97.

The Red Dragons fell in each of those matches, though, and therefore never made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, let alone the final. In fact, they have not gotten past the fourth round in 26 years.

The FA Cup remains an elusive honor. Wrexham began competing in the competition back in 1883–84, but have failed to reach the mountaintop or even sniff the trophy in the ensuing 143 years.


What’s the Difference Between the FA Trophy and the FA Cup?

Wrexham winning the FA Tropy
Wrexham previously won the FA Trophy in 2012–13. | Jan Kruger/The FA/Getty Images

Fans of Welcome to Wrexham might recall watching the Red Dragons make a run to the FA Trophy final in 2021–22. The team ultimately came up short with co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in the stands, falling 1–0 to Bromley.

The Red Dragons had previously lifted the FA Trophy in 2012–13, but the competition is completely separate from the FA Cup. The FA Trophy is only for English football clubs below the EFL in the ladder, giving non-league sides the opportunity to compete for silverware and play at Wembley Stadium.

Since Wrexham were in the National League back in 2021–22, they were eligible to participate in the FA Trophy, along with teams in Steps 1–4 of the National League System.

Once the oldest club in Wales secured promotion into League Two and moved up the English football pyramid, it was no longer eligible for entry into the FA Trophy.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Have Wrexham Ever Won the FA Cup?.

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