After three successive promotions, Wrexham were projected to come crashing back down to reality in the Championship, but nothing can seemingly stop the club’s Hollywood ascent.
The Wrexham machine continues to move with impressive speed and the Welsh side is chasing yet another promotion come the conclusion of the current campaign. The next stop is the Premier League.
There remains some way to go before the Red Dragons can celebrate an appearance in the top tier of English football for the first time, twists and turns certain in the remaining weeks of the season.
Here’s what Wrexham need to do to make sure they’re a Premier League side next term.
2025–26 Championship Table: Promotion Race
| Position | Club | Played | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Coventry City | 38 | +38 | 77 |
| 2. | Middlesbrough | 38 | +22 | 70 |
| 3. | Ipswich Town | 37 | +28 | 68 |
| 4. | Millwall | 38 | +9 | 68 |
| 5. | Hull City | 38 | +3 | 63 |
| 6. | Southampton | 38 | +13 | 60 |
| 7. | Wrexham | 38 | +8 | 60 |
| 8. | Derby County | 38 | +7 | 57 |
| 9. | Watford | 38 | +4 | 55 |
| 10. | Birmingham City | 38 | 0 | 53 |
| 11. | Swansea City | 38 | -2 | 52 |
| 12. | Norwich City | 38 | +5 | 51 |
Automatic promotion looks incredibly unlikely for Wrexham with time running out, but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. The top two sides in the Championship automatically secure their place in the Premier League the following season and while Coventry City look increasingly set to clinch the top spot, Wrexham are currently 10 points from second-placed Middlesbrough. Within the trademark chaos of the Championship, that gap is not insurmountable.
It would, however, require near perfection for Wrexham to break into the top two spots. Dreams of promotion via the playoffs are much more realistic.
The four clubs that finish from third to sixth in the second tier enter the playoffs and are then required to win a two-legged tie and the subsequent final at Wembley Stadium to clinch their place in the Premier League.
The Red Dragons were holding onto sixth place, which would be enough for the playoffs, but saw their spot taken by Southampton on Wednesday night. The two clubs are level on 60 points, but the Saints have the goal differential to push Phil Parkinson’s to seventh.
Southampton and Wrexham are also being hunted down by the likes of Derby County, Watford and fellow celebrity-owned outfit Birmingham City.
Wrexham’s Remaining Championship Fixtures
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| March 21 | Sheffield United (A) |
| April 3 | West Bromwich Albion (A) |
| April 6 | Southampton (H) |
| Aprill 11 | Birmingham City (A) |
| April 18 | Stoke City (H) |
| April 21 | Oxford United (A) |
| April 25 | Coventry City (A) |
| May 2 | Middlesbrough (H) |
Wrexham have just eight Championship matches remaining to seal promotion after their recent setback at Watford. However, only three of those fixtures will be staged on home soil at the Racecourse Ground, forcing them to journey on five arduous away days in the closing weeks.
Particularly tricky are Wrexham’s final matches of the campaign, which see them take on the current top two. A trip to Coventry in their final match of April will be followed by a home clash with Middlesbrough on the last day of the regular season.
There are challenging assignments prior, too. Fellow playoff contenders Southampton and Birmingham are still on the schedule, while the likes of Oxford United and West Bromwich Albion will prove stern tests as they scrap for their lives in their fight for survival.
How Many Points Do Wrexham Need to Reach Premier League?
There is no magic points tally that secures a place in the Championship playoffs, but recent campaigns suggest three or four more victories for Wrexham would be enough to finish inside the top six.
Last term’s 68-point finish for sixth-placed Bristol City is the lowest total required across the past five seasons, but the 70-point mark is often surpassed by all those inside the playoffs come the end of the campaign.
Tallies of over 70 points were necessary in three of the past five campaigns and the Red Dragons will likely have to reach that milestone to make the cut this time around.
Nine of the last 10 teams to finish inside the Championship’s top two automatic promotion spots have managed over 90 points—a tally Wrexham mathematically cannot reach.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wrexham’s Route to the Premier League: What Red Dragons Need to Get Promoted.
