San Mamés tops 1.6 million visitors as 2025-26 activity soars | OneFootball

San Mamés drew more than 1.6 million people across the 2025-26 season, confirming its year-round pull for Bilbao, Bizkaia and Euskadi. According to as.com, the tally covers matches, events, stadium tours and the AC Museoa, underlining activity across 365 days.

The Bilbao arena has become a civic landmark, likened locally to the Guggenheim for its attraction. It has staged a Europa League final, a Women’s Champions League final, European club rugby, and concerts by Guns N’ Roses and Metallica. It framed stages of La Vuelta and the Tour, the pandemic denied it European Championship hosting, and the 2030 World Cup also awaits if politicians do not spoil it.

On the pitch, San Mamés hosted 27 official fixtures for Athletic’s first teams, drawing 1,192,873 spectators. The men’s side played 24 games in LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League with a cumulative 1,163,332 attendance. The women’s team attracted 29,541 across three matches at the ground.

Beyond football, the stadium by the Ría staged 151 corporate, institutional, cultural and entertainment events, welcoming 261,845 people. The programme underscored its growing versatility as a venue of reference for major occasions.

Standout dates included the EPCR Challenge Cup and Investec Champions Cup finals, a ZETAK concert and the international youth AC Cup. San Mamés also hosted the Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea graduation, the arrival of Korrika and an official NFL event with live game screenings.

Source: as.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”