Wrexham AFC’s 2025 Tour Down Under in Australia and New Zealand arrived in Sydney this week, with the team facing Sydney FC.

Sydney FC triumphed over Wrexham AFC 2-1, in front of a record crowd for a football match at Allianz Stadium, with more than 40,000 fans in attendance.

Team manager Phil Parkinson said: “The pace, quality and athleticism of the Aussie teams is good… they could match our tempo really well. It’s a fantastic atmosphere… the Sydney fans have been great.

“We’ve loved [Sydney], it’s an amazing city, what a welcome we’ve had.”

Wrexham AFC was founded in 1864, making it Wales' oldest professional Football Club and the third oldest in the world.

In November 2020, shortly after football returned following the COVID-19 pandemic, actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds made a bid to take over ownership of the football club. At the time, the team was playing in the fifth tier of the English football league in 2021.

After passing a supporter vote, the takeover was confirmed in February 2021. As part of the takeover, the club became subject of the award-winning Welcome to Wrexham documentary.

The documentary is currently ranked at number two in Australia on Disney+ for reality shows.

In 2023, the team was promoted back to the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league.

The team now has its sights set on joining the Premier League, the top professional football league in England.

During Wrexham AFC's visit to Sydney, the team went sightseeing during breaks in training, including a visit to the Sydney Opera House and Taronga Zoo.

Parkinson said: “With the sunshine, we gave the lads a bit of free time. The lads have been at the beach, walked around and got a great feel for the city."

Parkinson said it was slightly surreal for the team to be on a tour of Australia and New Zealand after its rapid rise in the English football league system.

“It's just been great to be a part it because it's not just the football team, it's the whole area that has had a uplift in Wrexham and obviously the attention we've had in around the world as well," he said.

“Obviously, America and Canada, last year for tour, now Australia and New Zealand, you know, it's quite extraordinary really from, from where we've come from. I would say to the lads and staff to really enjoy this as it is a unique experience to be a part of this story.”

The team has also met with hundreds of fans during its visit, signing autographs and posing for photographs.

Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said: “Wrexham AFC's decision to bring their pre-season tour to Sydney is a massive win for NSW.

"This tour showcases Sydney as a world-class sporting destination and will deliver a significant boost to our visitor economy.”

Images courtesy TEG and Wrexham AFC.