Wrexham Women will make their first appearance in European competition on Wednesday when they face Armenian champions FC Pyunik in the UEFA Women’s Champions League first qualifying round at the Racecourse Ground (STōK Cae Ras), according to ESPN. The Red Dragons enter as one of the lowest-ranked sides in the round after completing a domestic double, winning the Adran Trophy and the Adran Premier for the first time in club history to secure UWCL qualification.
If Wrexham progress, they will play a final on July 25 against either Northern Ireland’s Glentoran or Latvia’s Riga FC to determine who advances to the next phase, according to ESPN. A subsequent mini-tournament would pit the winners against Denmark’s HB Køge on Aug. 5, with a potential final on Aug. 8 against Lithuanian champions Gintra or Scotland’s Heart of Midlothian; victory there would send the club into the two-legged third qualifying round for a place in the UWCL League Phase.
Wrexham’s rise has been rapid. The women’s team was formed in 1993 and only reached Wales’ top flight two years ago. Promotion to the Adran Premier in 2023-24 came with another first: the club became the first Welsh women’s side to operate on a semi-professional basis that summer, then finished third in their first season at the top level, according to ESPN. Former general manager Gemma Owen told ESPN the club made a statement that it was at the level to compete.
The path has also included setbacks. Wrexham reached the FAW Women’s Cup final but lost to Cardiff City, suffered another cup final defeat the following season and finished fourth in the Adran Premier, 12 points adrift of the champions. After four seasons in charge, manager Steve Dale resigned and was replaced by Jenny Sugarman in July 2025, a transition Sugarman described as “chaos” to ESPN.
Sugarman told ESPN that when she arrived only one player was under contract and roughly 20 other former players and trialists were awaiting decisions; a planned pre-season tour of Florida was cancelled and preparations were behind schedule. The club also drew fresh investment and attention under a Hollywood ownership group that includes Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac after their 2020 takeover, and added the club’s first silverware to the trophy cabinet. Wrexham also became the first club, and one of only a few worldwide, to own their women’s stadium outright when purchasing a 3,000-capacity venue, according to ESPN.
