Welcome to Wrexham season 3 release window, where to watch and everything we know so far

Welcome to Wrexham season 3 is officially happening! Right before the Welcome to Wrexham season 2 finale dropped on FX, the network announced that a third season of the beloved sports documentary would be coming in 2024.

For those who aren't already familiar, Welcome to Wrexham is the story of two best friends who buy a football (soccer) team in Wales. Okay, they actually barely know each other at the time and they're Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but the premise remains the same. We called the first season "a real-life Ted Lasso story" and season 2 got off to a largely great start that was followed up with some truly moving episodes.

So whether you're a new Wrexham fan or a diehard supporter, here's everything you need to know about Welcome to Wrexham season 3, including the release date and where to watch it. We even get into some possible storylines for the upcoming season.

Welcome to Wrexham season 3 release date

The past two seasons of Welcome to Wrexham debuted during the fall TV season after the previous soccer season ended. Season 1, which mostly covered the 2021-22 National League season, aired in late August 2022, and season 2 debuted in September of this year after the 2022-23 Wrexham season ended.

But for season 3, the showrunners are throwing us a bit of a curveball. Instead of a fall kickoff, season 3 will be released on FX on Thursday, April 18 and arrive on Hulu the following day (Fri. April 19). Wrexham AFC officially announced the news on Twitter (X) on February 9.

It certainly looks like my theory about the showrunners wanting to time the season finale of season 3 with the end of Wrexham's 2023-24 campaign is panning out. Or, they're at least going to get close. Episode 1 (at least) will arrive just two weeks before the end of the EFL League Two season with just two matches left. 

That means we could know Wrexham's fate for this season already by the time season 3 airs. Or, their title challenge could still be very much up in the air. Either way, if Wrexham falls short at the end of the year, it could become a humiliating choice to go this route.

Where to watch Welcome to Wrexham season 3

Welcome to Wrexham season will air on FX in the U.S. Most likely, this means episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the next day, as they have been for the past two seasons.

Outside the U.S., you won't be able to watch the episodes on FX unless you have a virtual private network (VPN) that you can use to access your cable or cable alternative that has FX as an available channel. If you need help finding a VPN, check out our guide to the best VPN services — though we typically recommend ExpressVPN. It's a great way to watch you're content when you're abroad.

But if that's not an option for you don't worry. You should be able to watch episodes the next day via one of the best streaming services depending on your location. Canadians will likely need to use Apple TV Plus to watch Welcome to Wrexham, which will set you back $12.99 CAD a month. 

In the rest of the world — including the U.K. and Australia — you'll need to use Disney Plus. Disney Plus costs £7.99 per month or £79.90 per year in the UK while Australians can pay either AU$13.99 per month or AU$139.99 per year to get Disney's international streaming service.

This isn't the only place you can watch Wrexham though. Check out our guide to watching Wrexham AFC live streams from anywhere on the planet to watch the games before they appear in the documentary. And Wrexham just announced Wrexham Wreplays for several free streaming services, including Tubi, Freevee and more. This replay show will premiere on the Maximum Effort channel on those services starting March 6 and air each subsequent Wednesday.

Welcome to Wrexham season 3 cast 

As a documentary, the cast for Welcome to Wrexham depends on real-life events, who consents to be interviewed, etc. We can assume that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will return, as well as several members of the team. The show will likely also continue to feature members from its community of supporters.

Here are some of the people who should almost certainly appear in Welcome to Wrexham season 3:

• Rob McElhenney, Wrexham A.F.C. co-owner and famous TV star
• Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham A.F.C. co-owner and famous Deadpool
• Humphrey Ker, Wrexham A.F.C. executive director and Rob McElhenney’s colleague
• Fleur Robinson, Wrexham A.F.C. chief executive
• Shaun Harvey, Wrexham A.F.C. advisor to the board
• Phil Parkinson, Wrexham A.F.C. manager
• Paul Mullin, Wrexham A.F.C. player
• Ollie Palmer, Wrexham A.F.C. player
• Elliot Lee, Wrexham A.F.C. player

Welcome to Wrexham seasons 1-2 recap 

If you're looking to stay spoiler-free for Welcome to Wrexham season 3, turn around now. After here, anything that happened in the first two seasons is on the table. I'll keep things brief though. The show's first two seasons are great, and you're going to enjoy watching them more than reading any description I'll provide.

Spoilers for Welcome to Wrexham seasons 1 and 2 ahead

In season 1, we find Ryan and Rob buying Wrexham, a relatively storied football club in Wales. But the town and the club have fallen on hard times, but that's frankly an understatement. Season 1 explores Ryan and Rob trying to get the club back on level footing and making some big moves to get promoted out of the doldrums of the National League as well as pointing a spotlight on Wales, the town of Wrexham and the people and fans that make the club.

Unfortunately, we don't get a Hollywood ending in season 1. The club experienced two massive heartbreaks in a row, first losing the FA Trophy final 1-0 to Bromley at a packed Wembley Stadium, then losing the promotion playoff semifinal to Grimsby Town 4-5 in extra time. Wrexham remains in the National League for another year, with no trophies to show for their massive improvement.

In season 2, Wrexham get off to an incredible start. They also make some big waves by beating Coventry City in the FA Cup third round then nearly locking off Sheffield United in the fourth round. But the hot start in the National League doesn't seem to be enough, as Notts County is on an equally hot start.

Ultimately, Wrexham do get a Hollywood ending in season 2 of Welcome to Wrexham. They beat Notts County in a thrilling 3-2 win at the Racecourse Ground (Wrexham's home stadium) in the fifth to last game of the season and then secured the National League championship in the penultimate game of the season with a 3-1 win at home against Boreham Wood. The season ends with Wrexham celebrating promotion back into the English Football League — a massive achievement.

And of course, in season 2 you get more of the town, the fans and the players. From discussing mining disasters to dealing with autism and heartbreaking personal issues, there are some truly emotional moments interspersed throughout the football. If for some reason you've made it to this part but haven't watched yet, I implore you to watch the first two seasons of Welcome to Wrexham now.

Welcome to Wrexham season 3 potential storylines 

Even if you've seen Welcome to Wrexham's first two seasons, you may want to stop reading here. I'm about to talk about what could happen in season 3, and since this is a documentary, everything I'm about to discuss has actually happened. So while it's still speculation because these events may not make it into an episode, this is definitely spoiler territory. 

Also, I'm only going to talk about football storylines unless something comes up concrete outside of the football that I think is worth mentioning. Despite this being a documentary, a lot of the personal stories shared in Welcome to Wrexham are still a mystery to anyone but the showrunners and those involved.

Possible spoilers for Welcome to Wrexham season 3 ahead

First up, Wrexham invades America! The team came to the States to play a few preseason friendlies, so some lucky Americans got to witness them play first-hand in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and a few other locations. I'd expect the America tour to be the focus of a single episode — probably the first one.

What also might get its own episode is super striker Paul Mullin's recovery from a punctured lung during the preseason friendly against Manchester United. He spent his recovery at the California home of team owner Rob McElhenney, so I'll be shocked if Welcome to Wrexham can't dedicate a short episode to this storyline.

Aside from the preseason drama, there are a few games that have happened so far that will likely get some screen time. English Football League Matches against Wigan Athletic — a massive win on penalty kicks — and Bradford City — a heartbreaking loss on penalty kicks — will almost certainly be covered. As will Wrexham's FA Cup run and their Football League trophy campaign.

But one game that will almost certainly be covered? An October 28, 2023, EFL League Two game against last year's rivals Notts County. Wrexham and Notts County are both currently in contention for the League Two title at this point in their seasons, and this matchup was set up to be a blockbuster.

It didn't disappoint either. Wrexham stole all three points on the road thanks to goals from Elliot Lee and Ollie Palmer and some excellent goalkeeping. That potential episode is one I cannot wait to watch.

One episode that may be tough viewing is if Welcome to Wrexham season 3 covers the team's November loss to Accrington Stanley. The game was already mired in some controversy after a pre-kickoff row on Twitter (X) between Accrington Stanley chairman Andy Holt and ... well, everyone else. Things only got worse once Accrington Stanley then proceeded to win the match 2-0. Will definitely be interesting to see what type of coverage this incident gets — if any.

Don't be surprised if Wrexham's 2-0 win against Newport County gets some screen time as well. This edition of the "Welsh Derby" was the first to happen in five years, so expect the build-up to be tense and the celebrations to be many.

One event that definitely won't get covered though, is co-owner Ryan Reynolds being awarded the Order of British Columbia in Canada. According to The Mirror, documentary makers wanted to film the honor but Reynolds declined to allow them access.

However, we might get an inside look at some stadium drama. One of Reynolds and McElhenney's goals has been to rebuild the "Kop," which is where the most devout of the Wrexham faithful historically take in the games at the Racecourse Ground. Unfortunately, this plan seems to have hit a major snag, with the club announcing that the new Kop won't open in time for the 2024-25 season as initially promised.

In the meantime, Reynolds and McElhenney have built an expensive new temporary stand that allows the Racecourse Ground to hold over 12,000 fans. That means it's now bigger than two existing Premier League stadiums!

That's not the only spending Reynolds and McElhenney have done either. The club announced new contracts for star players Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee that will see them stay in Wrexham through the end of the 2026-2027 season.

Wrexham has already had a busy first week of 2024 that will be sure to get some coverage in the new season. First, Wrexham defender Jacob Mendy was selected for an international call-up. This meant he missed Wrexham's massive 1-0 FA Cup win against Shrewsbury, which saw the Welsh side advance to the fourth round of the storied tournament. That means they will at least equal their progress in the tournament last season, where they fought till the bitter end against a superior Sheffield United team.

Oh, and Welcome to Wrexham is now "Emmy Award-winning" Welcome to Wrexham. The second season of the show took home five 2024 Creative Arts Emmys. It remains to be seen if these statuettes will be displayed at the Racecourse Ground alongside last year's National League trophy.

On the lighter side, we may also get a peak behind the curtain for one of the best Super Bowl 2024 commercials we've seen. In this ad for Wrexham sponsor STōK Cold Brew, we see Sir Anthony Hopkins getting in the head of his latest acting role — Wrex the Red Dragon, Wrexham AFC's mascot. Even if we don't see an appearance of acclaimed actor "Tony" Hopkins in season 3, it's clear the Welshman has love for what Reynolds and McElhenney have done for the club.

And while he isn't a Welshman, the Prince of Wales himself will likely make an appearance in this season of "Welcome to Wrexham." Prince William traveled to the famous Turf pub located on the Racecourse Ground to celebrate St. David's Day (h/t Daily Mail). 

The visit will likely be seen as an endearing one, but Prince William will certainly raise some eyebrows with a terrible pour behind the bar, declaring his preference for cider over beer and declaring to McElhenney that he prefers Hugh Jackman to McElhenney's partner Reynolds.

This season may not have a happy ending though. The end of the season is currently ongoing and the Red Dragons have hit a rough patch. There's even speculation from tabloids like The Sun that Phil Parksinon's coaching staff could be in for a shakeup. Don't be surprised if some of the drama makes its way into season 3.

Sir Tony and royal cameos aren't the only surprise guests season 3 may feature. In advance of the MLB series between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, those two teams sent their mascots to London during spring training. However, the teams' mascots — the Phillie Phanatic and Mr. and Mrs. Met, respectively — made a detour from their London destination and stopped off at the Racecourse Ground (h/t The Athletic). Given McElhenney's Philadelphia roots, I'd be shocked if this didn't make it into an episode in season 3.

If you can't wait for Welcome to Wrexham season 3 and want to follow their games live, make sure to check out our guide to watching Wrexham live streams from anywhere.