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

As galore arsenic 80,000 fans descending connected a metropolis with a colonisation of 345,000.

It is not hard to ideate however the bluish Spanish metropolis of Bilbao volition beryllium tested arsenic Manchester United and Tottenham hole for Wednesday's Europa League final.

Uefa, European football's governing body, has apologised successful the past for the chaotic scenes astatine the 2022 Champions League last betwixt Liverpool and Real Madrid successful Paris and for transport issues astatine the 2023 last betwixt Manchester City and Inter Milan successful Istanbul.

So however is Bilbao coping?

Bilbao is the 10th largest metropolis successful Spain by colonisation and the biggest metropolis successful the north-east portion of Spain known arsenic the Basque country, which besides includes tourer hotspot San Sebastian.

With 345,000 residents, Bilbao is smaller than the cities of Palma connected the land of Mallorca and Las Palmas successful Gran Canaria.

The San Mames stadium, opened successful 2013, is location to La Liga broadside Athletic Club, whom United bushed successful the semi-finals.

It has a capableness of conscionable implicit 53,000 but that has been reduced to 49,600 for the final.

It hosted the Women's Champions League last successful 2024 and the 2018 finals of the European Rugby Challenge Cup and Champions Cup, and was owed to big 4 Euro 2020 games which were moved due to the fact that of Covid-19 restrictions.

Bilbao is not arsenic casual to scope arsenic you whitethorn think.

It is served by nonstop flights from lone 3 English cities - London, Manchester and Bristol.

According to reports successful Spain, 282 flights are expected successful Bilbao connected Wednesday - a grounds for a azygous time - portion determination has been a 94% week-on-week spike successful departures from the UK to Bilbao.

The prices of those flights - immoderate arsenic precocious arsenic £1,400 - soared erstwhile United and Spurs made it to the final, with airlines scrambling to enactment connected added flights to conscionable demand.

Even then, galore fans had been priced out, preferring alternatively to drawback indirect flights oregon alert to adjacent Spanish oregon French cities earlier making connections.

Others person avoided flying, preferring alternatively to transverse the Channel via ferry, car oregon bid to France earlier making their mode to the northbound seashore of Spain.

Some fans took a nonstop 33-hour ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao, portion 1 United instrumentality made a 2,500 mile journey from Manchester taking successful Dublin, Paris and Rome.

Bilbao has 1 airport, which is 12km from the metropolis centre.

Most radical opt for a autobus oregon taxi into municipality but section paper El Correo reported, external that Uber prices person surged to much than 100 euros for a travel which usually costs astir 30.

Bilbao has an estimated 13,000 edifice beds.

It does not instrumentality a mathematician to enactment retired that the metropolis whitethorn person a occupation accommodating its English visitors.

Double rooms successful immoderate cardinal hotels person been going for much than £1,800 per night.

Many fans person booked rooms oregon hostels, are staying with locals oregon are commuting from adjacent towns, portion United instrumentality Matthew Blackford slept successful a parkland with his friends to debar "silly edifice prices".

"I'm with a fewer mates and we lone arrived successful Bilbao astatine 10.30 past night," helium told BBC Sport.

"We headed consecutive retired for a fewer drinks. It lone dawned connected america aboriginal 'where are we going to slumber tonight?'

"We recovered immoderate benches. I managed to get my caput down for 3 oregon 4 hours.

"I americium beauteous skint, but couldn't assistance myself and wanted to effort and get here."

Wednesday's crippled volition beryllium the sixth all-English European last successful history.

The gathering of 2 teams from immoderate state successful an lawsuit of this magnitude would trial resources, but peculiarly truthful erstwhile it involves teams whose fans question successful specified numbers.

Local constabulary person reported insignificant clashes betwixt supporters successful Bilbao and San Sebastian, which is 48 miles away.

However, nary arrests person been made and the ambiance betwixt the supporters successful Bilbao is said to beryllium mostly friendly.

There volition beryllium 3 information rings astir the stadium for the crippled and much than 1,500 officers person been enactment connected duty, with each peculiar units working.

BBC Sport has been told that, fixed the amiable atmosphere, determination are nary plans for constabulary escorts to travel fans from the metropolis centre to the stadium.

Each squad were allocated astir 15,000 tickets, with the remainder fixed to Uefa sponsors oregon bought by neutrals, including officials, different sponsors and guests.

Both teams person been designated instrumentality zones successful abstracted areas of the city.

United's is successful Etxebarria Parkea, with a capableness of 20,000 and brew costing 5 euros.

Club legends Denis Irwin and Andy Cole volition beryllium successful attendance and determination volition besides beryllium performances from Liam Fray of the Courteeners and Mani from the Stone Roses.

Tottenham's designated country is successful Ametzola, wherever fans person been promised a countdown to kick-off with unrecorded euphony and peculiar impermanent appearances.