Ferdinand Believes Wrexham Rise Has Boosted Football’s Popularity in the U.S.

Former West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand says Wrexham‘s rise under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has helped increase awareness and interest in English lower-league football in the United States.

Ferdinand, 40, now a club ambassador for West Ham, told AFP that the club’s journey has “opened people’s eyes across the pond on such a great league.”

Wrexham have enjoyed a dramatic rise since the 2021 takeover, when Reynolds and McElhenney purchased the Wales-based club for around £2 million ($2.7 million). They have since earned three consecutive promotions.

Ferdinand praised the effect of the story: “It’s helped lift the bonnet on lower-league English football.”

He’s followed football in the U.S. since West Ham played in the 2008 MLS All-Star Game against a team featuring David Beckham, and he sees the growing U.S. interest as a long-term development.

He also pointed to CBS Sports’ four-year deal to show 250 EFL and League Cup matches each season until 2028 as proof of Wrexham’s influence.