An estimated 80,000 Tottenham and Manchester United fans have started descending on Bilbao utilising planes, trains, automobiles and even a boat to get to the city for Wednesday night’s Europa League final.
With prices for flights and hotels rocketing, fans travelled using obscure routes via far away destinations and other ingenious methods to help minimise the cost of getting to the game.
United fan and YouTuber Flex charted his journey on X on Tuesday morning, and he started off by taking a plane to Prague.
‘Road to Bilbao has began! he posted. ‘1st stop Prague lol!
‘Bring this trophy back & Champions League money to rebuild this squad! YANITED!!!’
After touching down in the Czech capital, Flex gave another update, writing: ‘Plane number 2! Madrid bound.’
Football fans are on their way to Bilbao as the Spanish city prepares for a British ‘colonisation’
A father and son posed with their drinks as they begin their journey to Europa League final
Three United fans headed to Seville before moving on to Bilbao to watch their side
That would at least put him in the right country, before a final trip to Bilbao to complete his quest.
Meanwhile, a group of Spurs supporters decided that heading to Paris first was the best route, as they wrote on X: ‘In France, next stop Bilbao.’
Three of the fans were seen clutching a beer as they looked to get into the spirit ahead of what promises to be an exciting but nervy evening for both clubs.
One female United fan had the same idea for settling the nerves as she posted a photo of herself clutching two pints of Madri at the airport alongside the caption: ‘See you in Bilbao’.
Hotels in the city are charging anything between £2,000 to £3,000 per night while direct flights to Bilbao from England, which are virtually sold out, can set you back around £1500.
Each of the Premier League clubs have been allocated 15,000 tickets each for the final at the San Mames stadium. But an estimated 50,000 fans, many of them expected to be supporters of Tottenham could be in the city without tickets, causing a major security headache for organisers.
Fans gathered from early morning in Bilbao city centre downing beers at five Euros a glass, almost double the normal price.
Two fans’ zones have also been set up for supporters of both teams which will have a capacity to serve an estimated 120,000 pints of lager between them.
Tony Delaney from Hertfordshire, a Tottenham fan said: ‘I just had to be here even though I haven’t got a ticket. It’s cost me a lot of money to get here and I came via Barcelona and then got a train to Bilbao. A lot of may mates are coming via all kinds of other places because there are no direct flights.
Some Spurs fans have travelled over to Bilbao despite not having tickets for the final
Man United fans Kieran Burke (pictured) arrived in Bilbao via Lisbon and Barcelona
Some Tottenham fans were seen clutching beers as they drove through France to get to Bilbao
Man United YouTuber Flex started off his journey to Bilbao by flying to Prague on Tuesday
He then revealed he was heading to Madrid before completing his journey to Bilbao
‘The hotels are also very expensive. We’ve got a room that’s costing £800 per night but 11 of us are going to sleep there so it’s not too bad because we’re splitting the cost between us.’
Much of the conversation amongst fans was about the hunt for tickets and the circuitous routes they took to get to the city.
The cheapest ticket at £34 is being offered for £1,000 on the black market while other fans revealed how they are being asked for anything between £2,000 to £3,000.
Alex Bennett, a Manchester United fan from Cheshire revealed how he flew with a friend to Majorca and then caught a connecting flight to Bordeaux, where they hired a car to drive more than 200 miles to Bilbao.
He said: ‘The cost of accommodation and transportation is absolutely crazy and once again it’s ordinary fans who are missing out. Bilbao is not a very big city and it doesn’t have the infrastructure for an event like this.’
Tottenham fans Rick and Jeff from St Albans who were wandering outside the San Mames stadium searching for tickets revealed that they had been offered two at £1900 each and were considering the offer.
Rick said: ‘Luckily we booked our accommodation a long time ago and it’s only costing us £100 per night. But the prices for everything else are crazy.’
Lifelong Manchester United fan Kieran Burke, 64 arrived in Bilbao following a near twelve-hour plane journey which took him via Lisbon and Barcelona.
He said: ‘I’m having a great time so far even though it was a struggle to get here. But I’ve not met a single fan yet who has actually got a ticket and they’re all hoping to pick one up here.’
Many fans have been sharing their odysseys – across road, sea, and sky – in what has become a thriving niche online community.
One seafaring chap posted a picture of a boat in a canal on Sunday morning, writing: ‘En-Route to Bilbao. Over bay of Biscay, should arrive Tuesday night.’
A three-day journey, then. On Monday morning, the supporter gave an update with a video from the Bay of Biscay, claiming there was ‘better phone signal on the moon’.
‘One hundred per cent you’re sinking in that,’ warned one follower on X.
‘Daft lad,’ Josh hit back. ‘We’ve had this boat in the Med for the last 10+ years, this boat has seen it all.’
United won the Europa League back in 2017, and some of their supporters appear confident of creating more unforgettable memories on Wednesday.
One supporter posted a photo of him and his son holding a bottle of cider on a plane as he wrote: ‘Name something better than going to a European final with your son. First one for the lad too!!!’
A group of United fans called for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers to leave the club
One Spurs account revealed they had chosen to drive to Bilbao and had stopped off at Lisbon first
Another group of three United fans posed with a flag after stopping off in a different Spanish city as they captioned their post: ‘Bilbao via Seville’.
It has been a difficult season for United after major changes behind the scenes, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos taking over the day-to-day running of the club from the Glazers.
One set of supporters made it clear they were not convinced by either Ratcliffe or the Glazers as they held up a flag that read: ‘Glazers out, Ratcliffe out’ while standing next to their plane.
With airfares rising by the minute, some supporters have taken the decision to drive to Bilbao.
A Spurs fan account gave an update on their progress, writing on X: ‘Bilbao Bound. An 8.5 hour drive from Lisbon. COYS!’
Thousands of police and private security staff will be on duty at the final where three safety rings are being established around the San Memes stadium to separate fans and prevent any incidents.
Officials have warned that supporters without tickets will not get anywhere near the stadium following chaotic scenes at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
The pressure is on Ruben Amorim’s side to deliver after a miserable Premier League campaign
Ange Postecoglou also knows his side must step up to end Tottenham’s wait for silverware
Many genuine ticket holders were unable to enter while Uefa was also slammed for its organising of the event.
Ahead of Wednesday’s match, Uefa warned Tottenham and Manchester United fans that tickets purchased from touts or third party websites would be cancelled.
European football’s governing body said in a statement: ‘In view of the upcoming UEFA club competition finals, UEFA warns fans not to purchase tickets on the secondary market, from unauthorised third parties, websites, agencies or from touts.
‘Such tickets may be cancelled by UEFA at any time and fans are likely to be refused entry or be ejected from the stadium. In addition, fans may not receive the tickets which they have purchased from these unauthorised third parties.’
