Bristol Rovers' League One rivals see request for fixture to be played in the USA rejected

Birmingham City have reportedly seen a request to play an upcoming League One fixture with Wrexham in the United States rejected by the EFL, with both clubs owned by high-profile Americans.

According to the Daily Mail, Blues asked for permission to play their first of two league games against the Red Dragons in America which would have made the match the first English fixture to be played outside of England or Wales had it been accepted.

Birmingham were taken over by US-based group Knighthead last July and saw NFL legend Tom Brady become a minority investor soon after. However, despite ambitious plans for the club including building a 60,000 capacity stadium, their first season in charge culminated in the Blues being relegated to League One.

It's been 30 seasons since the West Midlands outfit last played outside of the top two divisions, a campaign which also had the most recent league meetings with Bristol Rovers. Unsurprisingly though, Birmingham are already the bookies' clearly early favourites for promotion.

As for Wrexham, the Welsh side have enjoyed a considerable rise up the divisions since being taken over by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020, securing back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One over the past two campaigns. Their success has also been covered by a popular documentary on Disney Plus.

This season will be the first time the Red Dragons have played in the third tier of English football since 2005 and they are set to go out on tour on the American West Coast as the club continues to grow its global brand.

When exactly Birmingham and Wrexham will meet and in what order of venue is yet to be confirmed with EFL fixtures set to be released on Wednesday. This also goes for Rovers who will also learn their diary for the upcoming campaign and when they will face both sides.