The scene is set for an all-English Europa League football final in Bilbao, northern Spain, after Manchester United beat Athletic Club and Spurs saw off Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals. The two English teams will now face each other in the Basque port city on 21 May 2025, guaranteeing a win for the country that calls itself the “home of football”.
Fans from both the capital, London, and the capital of the North, Manchester, will also be competing – for tickets to travel to the match. And with some supporters having taken it for granted that their team would reach the final and booked ahead, it’s a fiercely competitive marketplace.
By air
Simon Calder in The Independent reports surging air fares. At the time of writing, there were only two seats left on easyJet’s 20 May midday flight, with a return on 22 May setting fans back £1,640.98 (around €1,940). Flying out on the 13:55 departure on 20 May, staying one more night and returning on 23 May would cost £1,258.98 (€1,562) – not including accommodation.
Flying from Manchester presents a similar picture, with limited availability, three flights already sold out on 22 May and prices reaching up to £1,572.98 (€1,860) for a two-day return.
Prices on alternate routes and mixed modes such as air and rail, for example via Basel or Biarritz, or flying to Santander, or booking with TAP Portugal and going indirect via Lisbon, are also “soaring”.
It’s shocking how EasyJet are allowed to do this. The government should step in.
— Chris (@chris_furminger) May 9, 2025
It’s normally around £75 to fly to Bilbao from Manchester.
We now have an all English Europa League Final and you turn into scumbags. @easyJet #EuropaLeague #ManUtd #ManchesterUnited pic.twitter.com/cgweAGy3MX
Train or coach
Taking the train the whole way could be an option. One potential route is from London St Pancras to Paris Nord, then Paris Montparnasse to Hendaye, and from there to San Sebastián followed by a bus to Bilbao. It’s a day-long journey costing up to approximately €500, involving several changes. Availability on the Montparnasse route south is already showing as “limited”.
By coach, travellers face an even longer odyssey. The journey takes 24 hours by FlixBus from London Victoria, with a change at Paris Bercy.
Ferry and car
Brittany Ferries sail direct from Portsmouth to Bilbao, but it means a 6-day return, from 18 to 24 May. The overnight journey takes 10 hours and costs are currently up at around £435 (€514) each way.
They also sail from both Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander. The Plymouth sailing would mean fans taking five days off work and again costs over £900 (over €1,000).
Of course, it’s possible to take a range of ferries to various French ports from the UK’s south coast and drive all the way from northern France through the Pyrenees to Bilbao – an approximately 900km trip that will take eight and a half hours, at least.
Thinking about a spring escape?
— Brittany Ferries (@BrittanyFerries) May 7, 2025
Bilbao is just a ferry ride away – sail direct or via Santander and enjoy a relaxed way to reach one of northern Spain’s most vibrant cities.
Food, architecture, and atmosphere – it’s all waiting 👉 https://t.co/6B7pRKt4xQ pic.twitter.com/zBhdQhMoKV
UEFA has announced that stadium gates will open at 6:00 pm and that fans should aim to get there three hours ahead of kick-off at 9:00 pm. If the game runs to normal time, “the post-match trophy ceremony and accompanying celebrations should finish by 11:30 pm”, the body said, but “if the match goes to extra time or penalties, expect the action on the pitch to continue until around 12:15 am.” Finally, extra metro and tram services will be laid on to help manage the crowds.
