Sorry, folks. Ryan Reynolds is not playing with Wrexham in Cary tournament this summer
Sorry to disappoint folks, but Deadpool will not be playing with his soccer team this summer at WakeMed Soccer Park after all.
ESPN and The Athletic reported last month that Ryan Reynolds — co-owner of Wrexham AFC — would play alongside co-owner Rob McElhenney when their Welsh team makes its U.S. debut in Cary.
The team is one of 32 teams playing in June for a $1 million prize at The Soccer Tournament (TST).
But those reports were incorrect, said Jake Pavorsky, the director of player personnel and public relations for The Basketball Tournament and The Soccer Tournament. He confirmed to The News & Observer Wednesday that the Hollywood actors would not be suiting up on the field.
“There was a social media post that was misinformed, and an outlet kind of ran off and decided to make it seem like they were playing,” Pavorsky said. “That was not something we had tried to do on our end.”
Reynolds and McElhenney, star of the FX show, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” bought the team in 2020. The team, founded in 1864, is based in Wrexham, North East Wales. The club is the oldest in Wales and the third oldest professional association football team in the world.
Last year, the club was featured on the FX docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham” and was included in the FIFA 22 video game.
With the team’s profile on the rise and their Hollywood owners, there has been heightened attention on The Soccer Tournament — and whether those Hollywood owners would come to Cary.
The tournament is at WakeMed Soccer Park June 1 through 4. The teams will play in a World Cup-style competition.
As far as Reynolds and McElhenney coming to the tournament, Pavorsky said it is “up to the club.”
“We’re not sure of what their plans are specific to those two as of right now,” he said.
Tickets for the soccer tournament went on sale Monday. So far 10,000 tickets have been sold to fans who signed up for the waitlist before this week, Pavorsky said.
Fans can still sign up for the waitlist at the soccer tournament’s website, thetournament.com/tst/.
This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 7:12 PM with the headline "Sorry, folks. Ryan Reynolds is not playing with Wrexham in Cary tournament this summer."