San Diego Comic-Con is going global with its first international edition set to take place in Malaga, Spain this September. 

SDCC chief communications and strategy officer David Glanzer announced the show’s first licensed event outside the US yesterday, alongside its European hosts—Malaga mayor Francisco de la Torre Prados and Andalucia President Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla. IMG Licensing brokered this agreement that will see thousands of international fans convene at the Malaga Trade Fair and Congress Center (FYCMA) for a four-day expo starting on September 25. 

The venue boasts ​​60,000 square meters of space and can accommodate up to 20,000 guests in several exhibition halls, auditoriums, conference rooms and on-site restaurants. Bonilla says the first International SDCC will play a key role in solidifying the autonomous region of Andalucia as a new tourist hub for digital art and pop culture. 

Putting things into perspective, the 2024 edition of SDCC in its San Diego home base was attended by more than 130,000 attendees over four days. It also facilitated several big news reveals, including actor Robert Downey Jr. announcing his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Avengers: Doomsday, DC Studios showcasing a new trailer for its 2D-animated Creature Commandos series, and VIZ Media unveiling that Spider-Man would team up with Tsuburaya Productions’ Ultraman for a new manga crossover. 

Last year alone, Andalucia welcomed a record-breaking 13.6 million international visitors, which was up by 13% from its last benchmark year in 2019 (12.02 million), according to Spain’s National Statistics Institute. The region also accounts for 13.4% of Spain’s overall GDP and generates more than US$32 billion from tourism each year.