Bilbao crowd of 50,000 turns friendly match into mass show of solidarity with Palestine

A friendly football match in Bilbao on Saturday turned into a large-scale display of solidarity with Palestine, as around 50,000 spectators filled San Mamés Stadium to watch a Basque selection face the Palestinian national team.

The game marked the first time Palestine’s national team has played on European soil, a symbolic milestone that came as Israel's military campaign continues to devastate Palestinian life, including sports infrastructure and athletes in Gaza.

Organisers said some 50,000 fans attended the match at the home ground of Athletic Bilbao.

Many waved Palestinian flags, held up banners backing Palestinian rights and joined a march through the city before kick-off.

Flags of the northern Basque Country region were also visible around the stadium, highlighting the role of Basque civil society in mobilising support for the match.

Inside San Mamés, supporters repeatedly chanted pro-Palestine slogans, raised Palestinian flags and unveiled images of Suleiman Al-Obeid, the former captain of Palestine's national team who was killed by Israel in Gaza while waiting for humanitarian aid.

His photograph was displayed as part of a tribute that turned the game into a remembrance as well as a sporting occasion.

Before the start, the Palestinian players posed behind a banner that read "Stop the Genocide", directly linking the match to calls for an end to Israel's brutal onslaught on Gaza and for Palestinians' right to live in peace and dignity.

For 90 minutes, the stadium atmosphere focused as much on political solidarity as on the football itself.

The Basque side, made up of players from Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and other regional clubs, won 3-0. Spain's national team players were unavailable due to World Cup qualifiers.

For many in the stands, the scoreline mattered less than the fact that a Palestinian team, whose athletes have seen stadiums bombed and teammates killed or displaced by Israel, was able to walk out in front of tens of thousands of supporters in Europe.

Spain has seen repeated mass protests against Israel's actions in Gaza since late 2023, and the Basque Country has been a focal point.

Bilbao previously hosted large demonstrations targeting an Israeli-owned cycling team at the Vuelta in September.

The Palestinian team is now expected to travel to Barcelona to face a Catalonia selection on Tuesday.