07/20/26 01:10:00
Printable Page
07/20 12:02 CDT Spain's World Cup champions return home for royal welcome and
parade through Madrid
Spain's World Cup champions return home for royal welcome and parade through
Madrid
By SUMAN NAISHADHAM
Associated Press
MADRID (AP) --- Spain's World Cup-winning soccer team returned home on Monday,
where the 26-man squad were greeted by the country's royals before meeting with
Prime Minister Pedro Snchez.
The squad will later board an open-top bus for what is expected to be a raucous
parade through central Madrid.
Hundreds of thousands of fans will greet them as they travel down Madrid's
historic avenues from near Moncloa Palace, the prime minister's official
residence, to Cibeles Square.
A ceremony with the players will then be held at the square, where previous
Spain 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 --- after a 2010 victory in South Africa --- that it had
won the title.
The team was congratulated by the leaders of the three countries that co-hosted
the tournament --- U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia
Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
After the final whistle, Madrid erupted into celebrations, 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 the capital's Puerta de Sol and other major squares --- singing,
dancing and setting off flares while car horns blared.
Many celebrated Sunday's victory long into the wee hours of Monday morning.
"I'm very happy. I've slept three or four hours, but for the team, I'll do
whatever it takes," 19-year-old Victor Alvarez said.
The men's victory, combined with the Women's World Cup won by Spain in 2023,
makes the European nation the first to hold both titles simultaneously.
"Honestly, 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," 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 mark the victory had collapsed.
For many young supporters, the triumph is their first time witnessing the men's
team lift the trophy --- and the national delirium that has followed.
Spain now is markedly different from 2010, when the Iberian nation was beset by
a debt crisis, 20% unemployment and nationalist regions fighting to win more
autonomy.
The economy is expanding, the unemployment rate has halved and the country is
forecast to again be among the Eurozone's fastest-growing major economies.
Nationalist and separatist tensions have considerably cooled.
Groups of fans began securing their spots near Cibeles Square late Monday
morning ahead of the team's arrival, bringing umbrellas to protect against the
sun and temperatures of up to 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
___
See more of AP's World Cup coverage here
|
