February 2026 — Chelsea Are Coming to the Racecourse

A WrexPat's monthly look back at Wrexham AFC — February 2026

Say it out loud: Wrexham are hosting Chelsea in the FA Cup. February is the month that sentence became real, and I'm still not entirely used to typing it.

Ipswich dispatched, quarter-finals reached

Josh Windass scored the only goal as Wrexham beat Ipswich Town 1-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on the 13th, sending the club into the fifth round for the first time since 1997. Nine days later came the draw everyone in the group chat had been hoping for and half-expecting to be denied: Chelsea, at home, the first competitive meeting between the two clubs since February 1982.

A ticket allocation that says a lot

Not everything about it was straightforward. RobRyanRed reported Chelsea were handed just 1,311 away tickets — below the standard 15% FA Cup allocation — because of ongoing redevelopment work at the Racecourse. It's a good reminder that the infrastructure is still playing catch-up with the football, even as the football keeps outrunning expectations.

The league form held up, and the club rewarded it

Wrexham pushed into the playoff places for the first time this season on the back of a dramatic stoppage-time Ollie Rathbone winner at QPR. The club responded by tying down two of its most important players — Rathbone and George Dobson both signed new deals on the 23rd. Squad additions Zak Vyner and Bailey Cadamarteri arrived early in the month too. Whatever happens against Chelsea, signing your form players before a Cup run gets emotional felt like smart business.

Sources: ESPN — Ipswich FA Cup report, ESPN — Chelsea draw, Goal.com — playoff push, Wrexham AFC — Rathbone contract, Wrexham AFC — Zak Vyner signing.

Header photo: Racecourse Stadium floodlights, Wrexham, by Jaggery, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).