Iconic European stadium sets ‘record-breaking’ 52,327 attendance – and not because of football

San Mames Stadium has witnessed plenty of memorable football occasions over the years, but the stadium's latest attendance record arrived courtesy of a different sport altogether.

The iconic home of Athletic Bilbao welcomed a huge crowd for European rugby's biggest club fixture, underlining both the venue's appeal and Bilbao's growing reputation as a host city for major international sporting events.

Athletic Bilbao's San Mames Stadium breaks attendance record

A new attendance record has been set at Athletic Club's San Mames Stadium after the Investec Champions Cup rugby final attracted 52,327 spectators.

The figure surpassed the previous stadium record by 213 fans. The earlier mark of 52,114 was set during Athletic Club's UEFA Europa League clash against Rangers during the 2024/25 season.

The rugby finals weekend proved a major success overall, with more than 95,000 supporters attending the two European club finals staged in Bilbao.

Alongside the Champions Cup final, the EPCR Challenge Cup final attracted a further 43,204 spectators, bringing the combined attendance across the weekend to 95,531.

The figures comfortably exceeded those recorded when Bilbao previously hosted the same event in 2018, highlighting the continued growth of European club rugby and the city's ability to attract large sporting crowds.

Local authorities praised both the attendance figures and the atmosphere generated across Bilbao, with fan zones and city-centre events drawing large numbers of travelling supporters throughout the weekend.

The success is also expected to strengthen Bilbao's position as a destination for future major sporting events, while it is one of the 11 Spanish venues set to host 2030 World Cup matches.

FGG says: A reminder that great stadiums aren't just for football

San Mames is rightly regarded as one of Europe's best football stadiums, but this record shows the venue's appeal extends far beyond Athletic's matches.

Breaking an attendance record with rugby is impressive in itself, but perhaps the bigger story is Bilbao's ability to fill the stadium and create a successful city-wide event.

For stadium operators and host cities, that's exactly what modern venues are built for, maximising their use beyond football and attracting major events throughout the year.

A record crowd, a packed city and a successful finals weekend. Bilbao will view that as a win on every level.