Wrexham could qualify for Europe due to ‘loophole’ in move that could ‘wreak havoc’ in English football

Wrexham could qualify for European football in the near future due to a loophole that could cause chaos in the English football league system.

Phil Parkinson’s side are currently flying high in second place in League One behind Birmingham City and targeting a third successive promotion under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

But they could be fast-tracked into Europe if a change to the Welsh League Cup comes to fruition.

Wrexham, Swansea City, Cardiff City and Newport County all compete in the English football league pyramid and are able to compete in Europe through performance in Premier League, FA Cup or EFL Cup – something Swansea did after their 2013 win.

Yet last month it emerged that all four clubs were exploring the possibility of the competing in the Welsh League Cup, where the winners secure passage to the Europa Conference League.

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The quartet would relinquish the ability to qualify via English competitions and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) are in favour.

The clubs and FAW have outlined their vision to UEFA, the FA, Premier League and teams who would be affected in Cymru Premier, the Welsh top flight.

A report for the project states that the move would “drive improvement for the whole Welsh football ecosystem” and “is an innovative solution to address this position has transformational potential for the whole Welsh football ecosystem from grassroots to the professional men’s and women’s game”.

But there are issues detailed in a recent report from the Daily Mail.

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The move could seriously disrupt the Championship fixture calendar and there are also concerns as to whether the revenue brought in from playing in Europe would be unfair to English clubs.

The New Saints are currently representing Wales in the Europa Conference League and played a Fiorentina side with former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea in goal.