Uefa confirm Europa League final stance with Manchester United to play Tottenham

The Europa League final in Bilbao will not be moved with Manchester United to face Tottenham Hotspur.

An all-English final gives two of the Premier League’s underperforming teams a chance to save their seasons and gain direct access to next year’s Champions League. United are in 15th place in the Premier League and Tottenham, who have not won a trophy since 2008, are 16th.

However, there is no chance that a Manchester United-Tottenham final could be moved to an English venue, with Bilbao’s San Mames stadium awarded the rights to host the Europa League final way back in 2021, the same year that Uefa decided the Basque city would host the 2024 Women’s Champions League final.

The San Mames has an official capacity of 53,289 but demand for tickets from Manchester United and Tottenham supporters will be far higher than what both teams would be allocated if they reach the final.

Uefa has confirmed that the two teams who reach the final will receive up to 15,000 tickets each, with a further 11,000 tickets up for general sale and the remainder offered to hospitality and sponsors.

And, as has been the case for recent all-English European finals between Manchester City and Chelsea in 2021 (Porto), Liverpool and Tottenham in 2019 (Madrid) and Arsenal and Chelsea in 2019 (Baku), the final will be played in Bilbao regardless of who advances.

Athletic Bilbao were dreaming of appearing in the Europa League final at their home stadium but United produced their finest performance under Ruben Amorim to win 3-0 against the 10-man hosts, before defeating the Spanish side 4-1 in the second leg.

Tottenham overcame the challenge of Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt, winning 2-0 away from home in the second leg.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said a final between Tottenham and Manchester United would “upset a lot of people” but he added that he did not care.