MADRID (AP) 鈥� Spain’s returned home on Monday, where the 26-man squad is due to meet with Spain’s royals and before boarding an open-top bus for a raucous parade through central Madrid.
Thousands of fans will greet them as they travel down Madrid’s historic avenues from near Moncloa Palace, the prime minister鈥檚 official residence, to Cibeles Square.
A ceremony with the players will then be held at the square, where previous Spanish national teams and their supporters have traditionally gathered to celebrate.
Spain walked off with the trophy at Sunday’s final after defeating now-dethroned champion Argentina 1-0 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was only the second time 鈥� after a 2010 victory in South Africa 鈥� that Spain won the title.
The Spanish team was congratulated Sunday by the leaders of the three countries that co-hosted the tournament 鈥� U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
After the final whistle, the Spanish capital , with thousands of supporters pouring into the streets from bars and restaurants, many draped in Spanish flags or wearing the team’s colors.
Crowds packed Madrid’s Puerta de Sol and other major squares 鈥� singing, dancing and setting off flares while car horns blared throughout the capital.
Many celebrated Sunday鈥檚 victory long into the wee hours of Monday morning.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy. I鈥檝e slept three or four hours, but for the team, I鈥檒l do whatever it takes,鈥� said 19 year-old Victor 脕lvarez early Monday.
The World Cup victory, combined with the Women鈥檚 World Cup won by , makes the European nation the first to hold both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 titles simultaneously.
鈥淗onestly, it was very exciting. We preferred not to go to any bar or anything, to experience it at home, focused and very happy, very joyful,鈥� 59-year-old civil servant Gema Rodero said.
Celebrations were dampened, however, after local authorities reported that a 13-year old in Salamanca, northwest of Madrid, had died after a fountain he had climbed onto with friends to celebrate had collapsed.
For many young supporters, the Spanish team’s triumph is their first time witnessing the men’s team lift the trophy 鈥� and the national delirium that has followed.
Spain today is markedly different from the country in 2010, when the Iberian nation was beset by a debt crisis, 20% unemployment and nationalist regions fighting to win greater autonomy. Today, Spain鈥檚 economy is expanding, the unemployment rate has halved and the country is forecast to again be among the Eurozone鈥檚 fastest-growing major economies. Nationalist and separatist tensions have considerably cooled.
Ahead of the team’s return, supporters waited in Madrid’s Barajas airport ready to greet them in an arrivals hall, many donning the team’s jerseys and waving Spanish flags.
Groups of supporters also began securing their spots near Cibeles Square late Monday morning, bringing umbrellas to protect against the sun and temperatures that are expected to climb to 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
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