Wrexham's Kop redevelopment will see Wales return, says Shaun Harvey
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Wrexham completed the purchase of their Racecourse Ground home from Glyndwr University in June 2022.
Wrexham say regular senior men's Wales internationals will return to the Racecourse Stadium once the Kop redevelopment has been completed.
The Racecourse is the world's oldest international football stadium but has not hosted Wales since 2019.
Planning permission has been granted for a new 5,500 seater stand which will take capacity to 15,500.
The National League club expect to hear this week if a bid for levelling-up funding has been successful.
"The understanding with the FAW [Football Association of Wales], who are going to be massively supportive of the club's ambitions, is that they will bring those games as soon as we've got a capacity that can host a crowd and make it financially viable" said strategic advisor to Wrexham's board, Shaun Harvey.
"We face the realities that there are bigger stadiums in the south of the country that will always host the prestige friendlies.
"But what we're hoping for is regular games here in both the Nations League and World Cup qualifiers."
Wales first played at the Racecourse in 1877, a year after the Football Association of Wales was formed in the town, with a total of 94 internationals staged at the ground - more than any other venue.
But Wrexham have staged only five senior internationals in the last 18 years - the last being against Trinidad and Tobago in March 2019 - and the current Kop has been unused since 2008 on safety grounds.
Harvey, a former EFL and Leeds United chief executive, says the new Kop development will incorporate a safe-standing area which will allow supporters to stand at domestic games.
"For Wrexham games fans will be able to stand behind the goal, which will be a throwback to bygone eras," Harvey told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"When we get Wales games here people will be able to sit down to watch the Wales national team and that meets Uefa requirements.
"We've come up with a hybrid solution where everybody gets a little bit of what they want."
Wales beat Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 the last time Wrexham's Racecourse hosted a senior men's international.
National League club Wrexham, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have played in front of full houses this season with a number of attendances at the Racecourse exceeding the 10,000 mark.
With planning permission for the new stand recently granted by Wrexham County Borough Council, the club are awaiting news on whether their bid for funding from the UK Government's levelling-up fund has been successful.
"The key issue is the funding decision. We've been told for some months now that the funding decision should be through this week from the levelling-up fund," added Harvey.
"We were all pleased to see that the levelling-up fund survived the Budget and the funding is still there and available.
"Our application will now be measured on its merits.
"We've worked really closely with Wrexham County Borough Council to get the application in the best form possible - it has to be their application, it can't be ours.
"Fingers crossed we will get that through and as soon as we do we're in a position to demolish the stand.
"The new floodlights have been ordered and all that's part of getting the stadium up to the standard of being able to host international games.
"With a fair wind come August at the start of the 2024-25 season it should be up and running and ready."
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