Wrexham A.F.C. has installed the first structural steelwork for the new Kop stand at the Racecourse Ground, a major step in the stadium's £69 million redevelopment. The club narrowly missed the Championship playoffs last season, finishing seventh with 71 points, but the focus is now on the future both on and off the pitch.
Concrete pouring for the foundations began in February 2026, with the first pieces of structural steelwork for the new Kop stand installed in May. By June, steelwork installation was ongoing, and the club shared video footage of the construction on social media. Further concrete pouring took place in July. Progress has been tracked via drone footage on YouTube, showing the transformation of the site.
The total contract sum for the Kop rebuild is £69,290,363. Wrexham A.F.C. Entered a construction contract with McLaren Construction (Midlands and North) on December 5, 2025. In December 2025, the Welsh Government provided £18 million in public funding towards the renovation. This funding decision caused widespread anger among some football fans and the public.
Jack Sergeant, the Minister for Culture in Wales, defended the decision. He said: "We've seen Wrexham on the up because of the football and because of the community around it."
The planning application aims to increase the Kop's capacity to 7,500 seats. However, in August 2025, the club submitted amended plans to Wrexham City Borough Council. These proposed adding an extra 2,250 seats to the stand's second tier. If approved, the new Kop capacity would be 7,750 seats, bringing the stadium's total expanded capacity to around 18,000.
Wrexham AFC CEO Michael Williamson explained the reasoning. He said: "When we submitted the revised designs for the new Kop Stand earlier this year, the intention was always to future-proof the Racecourse Ground so that it could hold international matches for many years to come." The council's planning committee had unanimously approved the initial plans in March 2025.
The redevelopment follows a period of remarkable success for Wrexham A.F.C. The club secured promotion from League One in May 2025. This put them in the Championship for the 2025-26 season for the first time since 1982. They finished that campaign just two points behind sixth-placed Hull City, who earned promotion to the Premier League.
Interim upgrades were made to the Racecourse Ground in September 2025. These included undersoil heating, better pitch drainage, moved dugouts, a new TV gantry, more seats in all three stands, and two new giant screens. The club's accounts revealed the Kop rebuild contract cost in March 2026.
The aim is to complete the Kop work at some point during the 2026/27 season, having been pushed back from a planned summer 2026 opening. Talks are taking place around potential naming rights for the new stand. On the field, the team prepares for its next fixture, an away match against third-placed Millwall on September 2nd. The club scored 69 goals and conceded 65 last season, finishing 24 points behind champions Coventry. This stadium project represents a long-term investment to match the club's ambitious trajectory.
