July 12, 2024
Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports
Mexican soccer team Club Necaxa will be the subject of a new FX series following up on the success of 'Welcome to Wrexham,' the sports documentary about the Welsh club owned by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. The team is shown above during the Leagues Cup last year in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Emmy-winning formula of "Welcome to Wrexham" has convinced FX to back a new soccer documentary series led by club owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. This time, cameras will be chronicling Mexico's Club Necaxa in Liga MX, the country's top professional soccer league.
The untitled series from FX and Disney+ Latin America will have actress Eva Longoria, one of several celebrities and athletes who have invested in Club Necaxa, as an executive producer. McElhenney, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, and Reynolds purchased a minority stake in the club in May, joining a group of minority owners that includes actress Kate Upton, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and former NBA star Richard Hamilton.
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Deadline reported the series will be produced in both English and Spanish. With Liga MX starting its season this month, work is expected to begin soon on the project.
Club Necaxa shares similarities with Welsh club Wrexham AFC, which McElhenney and Reynolds bought in 2020 when the club was at a low point. Club Necaxa was a Liga MX powerhouse in the 1990s, winning three domestic titles. Los Rayos have since fallen from their peak and the team's lack of success contributed to their relocation from Mexico City to the working class city of Aguascalientes. They finished last in their conference last season.
A series description from FX says the show will follow Necaxa “as they strive to reclaim their place as one of Mexico’s top teams." Longoria will try to "breathe new life into the team by enlisting the help of her high-profile friends including new co-owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds," Pro Soccer Wire reported.
Unlike English soccer, Liga MX does not have promotion and relegation — one of the central story arcs for "Welcome to Wrexham" during the show's three seasons. The 159-year-old Welsh club has been promoted twice since McElhenney and Reynolds bought the team and will now play in League One — the third tier of English soccer.
In the United States, "Welcome to Wrexham" has been a hit for FX and has helped popularize soccer in advance of the World Cup's return to North America in 2026. The series earned five Primetime Emmy awards last year, including for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program and Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program. The show has already been renewed for a fourth season.
McElhenney's More Better Productions, the company he launched earlier this year, will co-produce the new series with Hyphenate Media Group, Maximum Effort Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment.
