Paramount+ has announced the return of its Winter Festival of Football, beginning with a historic three-match tour of Australia by Wrexham AFC. Wrexham’s participation follows their rapid ascent from non-league status to within grasp of joining the Premier League, propelled by co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and global visibility through the “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary.
The tour will see Wrexham AFC face Melbourne Victory on Friday 11 July at Marvel Stadium, Sydney FC on Tuesday 15 July at Allianz Stadium, and Wellington Phoenix on Saturday 19 July at SKY Stadium. All matches will stream live and exclusively on Paramount+.
Once a struggling non-league club in North Wales, Wrexham AFC was acquired in 2020 by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Since then, the team has become a global curiosity, rising from the fifth tier of English football to the Championship in just four seasons. Their ascent has been chronicled in the Emmy-winning documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, which helped transform the club into an international brand with a devoted worldwide following.
Wrexham AFC Co-Chairmen Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney said “From the very beginning, we wanted to help make Wrexham a globally recognised team, town and brand. We could not be more excited to bring the Red Dragons to Australia and New Zealand—and we’re particularly proud this announcement includes neither a Men at Work nor Hugh Jackman joke. The latter took real restraint.”
The Winter Festival of Football will continue in Asia with the Singapore and Hong Kong football festivals. Featured matches include Arsenal FC vs. AC Milan (Wednesday 23 July) and Arsenal FC vs. Newcastle United (Sunday 27 July) in Singapore, followed by Liverpool FC vs. AC Milan (Saturday 26 July) and Arsenal FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur FC (Thursday 31 July) in Hong Kong. All matches are scheduled for 9:30pm AEST, offering Australian fans a rare chance to watch top European clubs at a convenient hour, without the usual early-morning kickoffs.
The announcement reinforces Paramount+’s positioning in live sports streaming, with the platform offering exclusive access to both local and international football content across the month of July.