Wrexham can look forward to a season in the Championship in 2025/26, and along with the prestige of the second tier, they’ll also reap the financial reward, too.
Obviously, Wrexham are no strangers to success, and they’re used to having a decent amount of money in their pocket, too.
The financial backing of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has worked wonders for the Red Dragons, helping them rise from the National League to the Championship over the last four years.
Now, Wrexham’s historic back-to-back-to-back promotion has brought them record-breaking success as they climb the EFL. But how much will a stint in the second tier actually earn the Red Dragons?
- READ MORE: How Championship expenditure rules will change Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s plans at Wrexham
Wrexham set for Championship windfall in 2025/26
Obviously, there is a vast difference between the Championship and League One, both in terms of competition level and the finances in the league. Here’s what we know about the financial reward in the second tier.
Based on the 2024/25 campaign, Championship clubs earned around £3-4m annually as a share of the Sky Sports television deal for the league.
On top of that, teams can earn per-match fees of between £500,000 and £1.5m, and international TV rights add on another £1-2m.
Then, there’s also another roughly £5m per club in solidarity payments from the Premier League.
Overall, then, Wrexham can expect income of between £9.5-12.5m from these sources just for being in the Championship.
| Revenue Stream | Championship (Estimated Annual) | League One (Estimated Annual) |
| Sky Sports Deal | £3 – £4 million | £800,000 – £900,000 |
| Per-Match Fees | £500,000 – £1.5 million | ~£200,000 |
| International TV Rights | £1 – £2 million | £300,000 – £500,000 |
| Premier League Solidarity Payments | ~£5 million | ~£780,000 (for 2024/25) |
| Total Estimated Income | £9.5 – £12.5 million | £2 – £2.4 million |
Comparing that to the figures from League One, the Sky Sports deal is worth less than £1m per club, with around £200,000 per game in addition.
The Premier League does far less to support teams in the third tier, too, with a fee of around £780,000 being sent to each club in 2024/25.
In total, clubs in League One earn between £2-2.4m, meaning Wrexham will already be at least £7m better off next season, and that’s only an average estimate for your standard club, which of course, Wrexham are not.
Wrexham can be an exception to the rule in the Championship
Given Wrexham’s huge popularity in America, and a growing influence in Australia, too, there is mass appeal for the Red Dragons and they’ll be in the spotlight even more, now.
We know that Wrexham are already earning big money from sponsorship deals, and Rob and Ryan’s commercial influence has helped the club generate huge revenue over the years, which will surely only increase now.
It’s a good job there’s more money coming in now, as Wrexham are thought to have expensive plans for the summer as they look to not only establish themselves in the Championship, but challenge for success once again.