Today in Spain: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Bilbao braces for English football fan 'invasion'

Bilbao is expecting more than 50,000 English football fans in the city as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United face off in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Other sources say it could be closer to 70,000 Brits who arrive in the northern city, which explains why Spanish media is describing their arrival as an "invasion".

Spanish authorities have reinforced the San Mamés stadium, Athletic Bilbao's home stadium in the city centre, with a three-metre-high fence and strict security measures.

The local press is already reporting that on Tuesday night there were clashes between Spurs and Man Utd fans in the bars of Bilbao but also the nearby cities of San Sebastían and Santander.

Body of toddler found inside car in southern Spain

Spanish National Police are investigating the death of a three-year-old boy who was found dead this Tuesday in Linares in the Andalusian province of Jaén.

At around 3pm, several witnesses noticed a minor in apparent critical condition inside a car, so they decided to call the emergency services, who were unable to resuscitate the child.

Soon after ABC newspaper reported that the child was in fact two, and that he was forgotten inside a locked vehicle in the heat for five hours by one of his foster parents (69), who thought he had taken the minor to nursery but had instead left him in the car.

Spanish police have since confirmed that the man is being investigating for negligent homicide.

Spain rejects higher GDP spend on defence sector

The Spanish government may have announced in April that it will fulfil its commitment to invest 2 percent of its GDP in defence this year instead of in 2029 as planned, but it is now resisting talks of raising that percentage.

Defence Minister Margarita Robles told her European counterparts and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte that the idea that NATO establish its defence spending commitments as a simple percentage of GDP was a "big mistake", as was raising the percentage unilaterally before discussions between allied members.

The idea of ​​replacing the current minimum of 2 percent with 3.5 percent of GDP is gaining tractionl, while the Trump administrations wants it to be 5 percent.

Most renters in Spain can't afford down payment on property

The Bank of Spain has published a report which concludes that three out of four renters in the country do not have enough money saved up to offer a down payment to buy a property, usually 20 percent of the value of the home for sale.

And it's the cost of paying their rents that prevents them the most from having enough savings with which to get on the property ladder, Banco de España's annual housing evaluation states.

In 2024, the country's leading job portal Infojobs found that Spaniards who rent spend on average 47 of their wages on their alquiler.