Wrexham to compete in 7-on-7 soccer tournament in Cary: Welcome to North Carolina

Wrexham, the fifth-tier Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will send a team to compete in a $1 million, winner-take-all, seven-on-seven tournament in early June in Cary, North Carolina.

The 32-team tournament includes Mexico's Necaxa and teams organized by former U.S captain Clint Dempsey, U.S. women's team midfielder Heather O'Reilly and Hashtag United, a British site founded by YouTube personality Spencer Carmichael-Brown.

TBT Enterprises is organizing the tournament, which runs June 1-4. Wrexham said Friday that its team will include club legends, some from the "Welcome to Wrexham" documentary series on FX.

Wrexham, bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, began Friday second to Notts County in England's National League, hoping to gain promotion to fourth-tier League Two. It visits Sheffield United in an FA Cup fourth-round replay on Tuesday after conceding in the fifth minute of stoppage time of a 3-3 draw on Jan. 29.

Wrexham adviser Shaun Harvey said if the club wins the tournament, it would use $500,000 of the prize money for community work.

The Wakemed Soccer Park in Cary hosts most college tournaments. In December 2022, it was the site of the Women's National Champion game featuring UNC and UCLA.

In 2018, Cary was voted 13th best city for soccer fans.

'Welcome to Wrexham': Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney buy professional soccer team