Uefa confirm Europa League final stance if Manchester United play Tottenham | OneFootball

The Europa League final in Bilbao will not be moved if Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur on May 21.

Both teams are in a strong position to contend for the trophy after winning the first legs of their semi-finals on Thursday night, with United beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away from home and Tottenham earning a 3-1 advantage over Bodo/Glimt ahead of next week’s return leg in Norway.

An all-English final would give 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 14th place in the Premier League and Tottenham, who have not won a trophy since 2008, are 16th.

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Tottenham and Manchester United have already played three times this season - with Spurs winning all three (Getty Images)

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.

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United will return to Bilbao if they finish the job against Athletic and reach the final (Getty Images)

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.

Tottenham were in a commanding position against Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt but their late goal means there remains some danger for Ange Postecoglou’s side before a potentially tricky trip to the Arctic Circle next week.