How is Bilbao coping with up to 80,000 Man Utd and Spurs fans?

As many as 80 000 fans descend upon a city of 345,000.

As Tottenham and Manchester United prepare for Wednesday’s Europa League final, how will Bilbao, a city in northern Spain, be tested?

In the past, Uefa, the governing body of European football, has expressed regret for the fracas at the 2022 Champions League match between Real Madrid and Liverpool in Paris and for transportation issues at the 2023 match between Manchester City and Inter Milan in Istanbul.

By population, Bilbao is the tenth-largest city in Spain and the largest city in the Basque country, which also includes San Sebastian, a tourist hotspot, and the tenth-largest city in the country.

Bilbao, which has 345, 000 residents, is smaller than Palma, which is on the island of Mallorca, and Las Palmas, which are both in Gran Canaria.

Athletic Club, a La Liga team that United defeated in the semi-finals, is located at the San Mames stadium, which was constructed in 2013.

It has a capacity of just over 53, 000, but the final final capacity has been reduced to 49, 600.

You might not think it’s as simple to get to Bilbao.

Only three English cities, London, Manchester, and Bristol, offer direct flights to this region.

282 flights are scheduled for Bilbao on Wednesday, according to reports in Spain, which is a record for a single day, despite a 94% week-on-week increase in departures from the UK to Bilbao.

When United and Spurs reached the final, airlines scrambling to add more flights to meet demand, which saw prices spike for those flights, some as high as £1,400.

Even so, many fans were being forced to fly elsewhere or take direct flights to nearby Spanish or French cities before making connections.

Others chose to travel by air instead of taking a ferry, car, or train across the Channel before arriving on Spain’s north coast.

One United fan traveled 2, 500 miles from Manchester, including visiting Dublin, Paris, and Rome, on a direct 33-hour ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

One airport is located 12 kilometers from the city center in Bilbao.

On average, there are 13, 000 hotel beds in Bilbao.

A mathematician can determine whether the city has a problem accommodating its English visitors.

Some upscale hotels have been charging more than £1,800 per night for their double rooms.

Matthew Blackford, a United fan, slept in a park with his friends to avoid “silly hotel prices,” while many fans have booked rooms or hostels, stayed with locals, or traveled by car.

He told BBC Sport, “We only arrived in Bilbao last night at 10:30 with a few friends.”

“We immediately left for a few drinks. Where are we going to sleep tonight, we only learned later.

We discovered some benches,” she said. For three or four hours, I was able to put my head down.

The sixth all-English European final will take place on Wednesday.

Any nation’s ability to host two teams of this size would be tested by resources, especially when the teams involved have fan bases that are large enough to travel in such numbers.

48 miles away, San Sebastian and Bilbao have reported minor altercations between supporters.

No arrests have been made, and there are reportedly no general kinships between the supporters in Bilbao.

More than 1,500 officers have been assigned to the game, with all special units working, and there will be three security rings around the stadium.

The remaining tickets were given to Uefa sponsors or purchased by neutrals, including officials, other sponsors, and guests, for each team, totaling approximately 15 000.

In distinct neighborhoods of the city, both teams have been designated fan zones.

In Etxebarria Parkea, there is beer for five euros and a capacity of 20 000.

Denis Irwin and Andy Cole, club legends, will perform, as will Mani from the Stone Roses and Liam Fray of the Courteeners.