The 2025 UEFA Europa League final was the final match of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League, the 54th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organized by UEFA, and the 16th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The match was played at San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, on 21 May 2025, between English clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. It was the eleventh tournament final to feature two teams from the same association and the third all-English final.
Tottenham Hotspur won the match 1–0 for their third UEFA Cup/Europa League title, their first European trophy since 1984, and a first major trophy since winning the 2008 Football League Cup final. In doing so, Spurs drew level with Liverpool as the competition's most successful English club and joint-second-most successful overall (along with Inter Milan, Juventus and Atlético Madrid). As winners, they earned a league phase spot in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League and the right to play against the winners of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint Germain, in the 2025 UEFA Super Cup.
Background Tottenham Hotspur reached their fourth UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final, the first time since the competition was rebranded in 2009. This was the sixth time they appeared in the final of a UEFA competition, having played in one UEFA Champions League final (losing in 2019), one Cup Winners' Cup final (winning in 1963 to become the first British team to win a European trophy), and three UEFA Cup finals (winning the inaugural competition in 1972 and then in 1984, and losing in 1974). Tottenham was searching for their first win in a final since winning the 2008 Football League Cup final, since then they had lost three League Cup finals; in 2009, 2015, and 2021, as well as the 2019 Champions League final. This was only the second time United had Spurs had faced each other in any major cup final, having faced each other in the 2009 Football League Cup final at Wembley Stadium which United won on penalties following a 0-0 draw. The clubs had previously only met in European competition during the second round of the 1963-64 European Cup Winners Cup (where Spurs were the defending champions) with United winning the two-legged tie 4-3 on aggregate with Spurs winning the first leg 2-0 at White Hart Lane only for United to overturn the two goal first leg deficit by winning the second leg 4-1 at Old Trafford.
Manchester United reached their thirteenth final in UEFA competitions, having won the European Cup/Champions League on three occasions (1968—the first English team to win the title, 1999, and 2008) and lost twice (2009 and 2011). They have also won one Cup Winners' Cup final (1991), played in two UEFA Europa League finals (winning in 2017 and losing in 2021), and contested four UEFA Super Cups (winning in 1991 and losing in 1999, 2008 and 2017).
This was the third all-English final in the history of the competition, after 1972 between Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers and 2019 between Arsenal and Chelsea, and the sixth all-English final in UEFA's three main competitions, with three all-English UEFA Champions League finals; both Manchester United (against Tottenham's rivals Chelsea in 2008) and Tottenham (against United's arch-rivals Liverpool) having appeared in one of those 'derby' finals. The other all-English major European final happened in 2021, when United's cross-city rivals Manchester City lost their first Champions League final to Chelsea. The 2019 UEFA Super Cup also featured two English clubs, Chelsea and Liverpool, making it seven European title-deciding matches between English sides. Prior to the final, Tottenham had played nine games against fellow English sides in Europe, with the most recent being the 2019 Champions League final. They won and lost four matches each, with the only draw happened in the first leg of the 1972 UEFA Cup final. Furthermore, they had won every European two-legged tie against English sides. This was also the case for United until their most recent tie in 2016, when they were knocked out by Liverpool in the UEFA Europa League round of 16. Before the final, their European record against English sides were six wins, three draws, and two losses.
Due to coefficient rankings, this all-English final also confirmed that there would be an unprecedented six teams from the 2024–25 Premier League qualifying for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League.
The sides had met 204 times previously, with United winning 95 matches and Tottenham 57. They had met in two title-deciding matches, the 1967 FA Charity Shield and the aforementioned 2009 Football League Cup final, both of which ended in draws; however, United won the latter against the holders on penalties. In Europe, they were paired in 1963 the first ever tie between two English clubs in Europe in which FA Cup holders United eliminated Tottenham, who were the tournament defending champions, in the second round of the Cup Winners' Cup.
The two clubs met twice during the 2024–25 Premier League season, with Tottenham winning both matches, 3–0 at Old Trafford and 1–0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tottenham also beat United 4–3 in the 2024–25 EFL Cup quarter-finals, the first time United lost three times against Tottenham in the same season. In the build-up to the final, media attention focused on both clubs' poor league form throughout the season; before the final match, both United and Tottenham were placed only above the team-confirmed relegation zone and mathematically certain to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League. As a result, whichever club lost the final would not play in any European competition during the 2025–26 season, with the winners' season being 'saved' by reaching the lucrative Champions League despite their poor domestic campaign.
In this season, the two clubs (England's only entrants) had finished in the top eight in the competition's league phase, involving a new format with a single table of 36 teams each playing eight opponents once; consequently they progressed to the round of 16 and were seeded, with the knockout ties using the familiar two-leg system. Manchester United's victory over Olympique Lyonnais in the quarter-finals, in which they scored three times in the last few minutes of extra-time to turn a 4–2 deficit into a 5–4 win, was described in the media as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of European football. In the semi-finals United defeated the 'host' club for the final, Athletic Bilbao, while Tottenham eliminated the tournament's surprise package, Bodø/Glimt of Norway, each winning both the home and away legs.
Previous finals In the following table, the finals until 2009 were in the UEFA Cup era and since 2010 were in the UEFA Europa League era.
TeamPrevious final appearances (bold indicates winners) Tottenham Hotspur3 (1972, 1974, 1984) Manchester United2 (2017, 2021)
Venue
Host selection On 16 July 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee announced that due to the loss of hosting rights for UEFA Euro 2020, San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao was given hosting rights for the 2025 final and the 2024 UEFA Women's Champions League final. This was part of a settlement agreement by UEFA to recognise the efforts and financial investment made to host UEFA Euro 2020.
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). Tottenham HotspurRound Manchester UnitedOpponentResultLeague phaseOpponentResult Qarabağ3–0 (H)Matchday 1 Twente1–1 (H) Ferencváros2–1 (A)Matchday 2 Porto3–3 (A) AZ1–0 (H)Matchday 3 Fenerbahçe1–1 (A) Galatasaray2–3 (A)Matchday 4 PAOK2–0 (H) Roma2–2 (H)Matchday 5 Bodø/Glimt3–2 (H) Rangers1–1 (A)Matchday 6 Viktoria Plzeň2–1 (A) TSG Hoffenheim3–2 (A)Matchday 7 Rangers2–1 (H) IF Elfsborg3–0 (H)Matchday 8 FCSB2–0 (A)4th placeAdvanced to round of 16Final position3rd placeAdvanced to round of 16Opponent1st leg2nd legKnockout phaseOpponent1st leg2nd leg AZ3–20–1 (A)3–1 (H)Round of 16 Real Sociedad5–21–1 (A)4–1 (H) Eintracht Frankfurt2–11–1 (H)1–0 (A)Quarter-finals Lyon7–62–2 (A)5–4 (H) Bodø/Glimt5–13–1 (H)2–0 (A)Semi-finals Athletic Bilbao7–13–0 (A)4–1 (H)
Match Summary In a largely scrappy game, Tottenham went in front in the 42nd minute when Pape Matar Sarr crossed from the left which Brennan Johnson got a touch from close range before the ball went into the left corner of the net past André Onana, the final touch appearing to come off the arm of Luke Shaw. In the second half Micky van de Ven acrobatically cleared off the line after a header from Rasmus Højlund with Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also saving down low to his left from a shot by susbstitute Alejandro Garnacho and a header from Luke Shaw. After seven minutes of added time Tottenham held onto the 1–0 lead to win a first trophy in 17 years. Tottenham became the worst team by domestic league finish to win a European trophy, as they finished 17th in the Premier League.
Details The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was predetermined as the winner of semi-final 1 (Tottenham Hotspur).
GK 1 Guglielmo VicarioRB 23 Pedro PorroCB 17 Cristian Romero (c)CB 37 Micky van de Ven LB 13 Destiny Udogie CM 29 Pape Matar Sarr CM 8 Yves Bissouma CM 30 Rodrigo BentancurRF 22 Brennan Johnson CF 19 Dominic SolankeLF 9 Richarlison Substitutes:GK 40 Brandon AustinGK 41 Alfie WhitemanDF 4 Kevin Danso DF 24 Djed Spence DF 33 Ben DaviesMF 14 Archie Gray MF 47 Mikey MooreFW 7 Son Heung-min FW 11 Mathys TelFW 28 Wilson OdobertFW 44 Dane ScarlettFW 63 Damola AjayiManager: Ange Postecoglou GK 24 André OnanaCB 15 Leny YoroCB 5 Harry Maguire CB 23 Luke ShawRM 3 Noussair Mazraoui CM 18 CasemiroCM 8 Bruno Fernandes (c)LM 13 Patrick Dorgu RF 16 Amad Diallo CF 9 Rasmus Højlund LF 7 Mason Mount Substitutes:GK 1 Altay BayındırDF 2 Victor LindelöfDF 20 Diogo Dalot DF 26 Ayden HeavenDF 35 Jonny Evans DF 41 Harry AmassMF 14 Christian EriksenMF 25 Manuel UgarteMF 37 Kobbie Mainoo MF 43 Toby CollyerFW 11 Joshua Zirkzee FW 17 Alejandro Garnacho Manager: Ruben Amorim
Man of the Match: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
Assistant referees: Robert Kempter (Germany) Christian Dietz (Germany) Fourth official: Maurizio Mariani (Italy) Reserve assistant referee: Daniele Bindoni (Italy) Video assistant referee: Bastian Dankert (Germany) Assistant video assistant referee: Benjamin Brand (Germany) Support video assistant referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)
Statistics
+First halfStatisticTottenham HotspurManchester UnitedGoals scored10Total shots34Shots on target11Saves10Ball possession43%57%Corner kicks42Fouls committed124Offsides01Yellow cards01Red cards00
+Second halfStatisticTottenham HotspurManchester UnitedGoals scored00Total shots011Shots on target03Saves30Ball possession29%71%Corner kicks03Fouls committed106Offsides11Yellow cards33Red cards00
+OverallStatisticTottenham HotspurManchester UnitedGoals scored10Total shots315Shots on target14Saves40Ball possession35%65%Corner kicks45Fouls committed2210Offsides12Yellow cards34Red cards00
Post-match and aftermath