Manchester United will face Tottenham in the final of the Europa League in Bilbao later this month, though there are concerns over whether the Spanish city is big enough to host
UEFA will not move the Europa League final from Bilbao despite concerns over the size of the San Mames stadium. The Spanish city won the right to host this year's event way back in 2021.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will be the two teams to fight it out to lift the trophy. United won this competition in 2017, while the last time Tottenham lifted a European trophy was 1984.
The Red Devils scuppered Athletic Bilbao's hopes of playing a final in their own stadium at the semi-final stage. Ruben Amorim's side won 3-0 in the first leg in Spain, before claiming a 4-1 victory in the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Spurs meanwhile avoided the embarrassment of losing to Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt, following up a 3-1 in the first leg with a 2-0 victory in the return fixture on Thursday night.
That set the stage for an all-Premier League final, to be held on 18 May. But given the supporter base of the two clubs, concerns had been raised over whether Bilbao would be big enough to host the final.
According to the Independent, UEFA have rubbished those concerns and there is 'no chance' of the final being moved to an English venue. The San Mames has an official capacity of 53,289.
Demand for tickets from the two finalists' supporters will be far higher than what both teams will be allocated. Both United and Spurs will have an allocation of 15,000 tickets, with a further 11,000 up for general sale and the remainder ringfenced for hospitality and sponsors.
Previous all-English European finals have all been played at their original hosts, including Chelsea's Champions League win over Manchester City in 2021 (Porto), Liverpool's defeat of Spurs in the same competition in 2019 (Madrid) and the Blues' win over Arsenal in the Europa League in 2019 (Baku).
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is keen to take on United. He said: "It's going to upset a lot of people isn't it. The debate's now raging. The latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they're just going to take a team photo because we're not worthy.
"I mean, who cares if we're struggling in the league? If it's so easy to get to a final, then why doesn't everyone who finishes in the top three do it? It's a separate thing. It's got nothing to do with league form. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there."
Amorim meanwhile has insisted anything other than winning the final will be a failure. He said: “I'm stressed already because of the final, because if you don't win it, in the end, it's nothing. So, we are happy to be there. Let's see.
"I think it's going to be a really good game. A little bit emotional because both teams are struggling a lot in the Premier League and want to win something. Two teams who play in the same league and know each other.
"It means a lot, not just to us but also for Tottenham. It means a lot, not just for me but also for Ange [Postecoglou], after this season. It's a massive game and I know it's going to be tough for the people in Bilbao because they wanted to play in the final at home."