Manchester United v Spurs is the Worst Europa League Final Ever

Spurs and Manchester United will contest the 2025 Europa League final on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Bilbao, Spain. It is available to view in the US exclusively on Paramount+.

For both teams, it represents a lifeline at the end of what has been a miserable season, the chance not just for redemption but more importantly a coveted - and lucrative - spot in next season's Champions League. 

For the winner comes the invaluable opportunity to be able to recruit better players in the summer, with the lure of Champions League soccer on offer. 

For Spurs manager, Ange Postecoglou, it may even save his job. Lose the final, and it's impossible to believe that he will survive. Man Utd's manager Ruben Amorim will likely be afforded more time no matter the result, as he's only been in the job six months.

But nothing can gloss over the reality of their terrible league form. The teams currently sit in 15th and 16th place respectively in the Premier League - easily their worst positions since the inception of the EPL. 

Never before has the Europa League final been contested between teams as lowly as this in their leagues. Last year's event took place between Atalanta (4th in Serie A) and Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga champions).

The next "worse" final took place in 2021/22 when Eintracht Frankfurt (11th in Bundesliga) took on Rangers (2nd in the Scottish Championship, a league widely considered weak and perennially contested between just two teams, Celtic and Rangers).

The good news for the Europa League is that these are big clubs with huge followings, so there will be no lack of interest. Bilbao will be packed with English fans hoping...praying for salvation from the misery of their 2024/5 league campaigns.

Related: Can Ruben Amorim repeat Ferguson miracle?

Related: UEFA ruined the Champions League