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Madrid was painted red and yellow on Monday as Spain returned home and embarked on a parade of open-top buses to celebrate the country’s second World Cup victory with hundreds of thousands of fans lining the city’s streets.
Coach Luis de la Fuente and his team landed in the Spanish capital early on Monday afternoon. Before setting off on the parade route, the team headed to the Zarzuela Palace for a formal reception, where they were congratulated by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, as well as Spanish royals Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI.
Before the parade, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, congratulated the World Champions at the Zarzuela Palace. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
From there, the players boarded their open-top bus to sail through a sea of red and yellow, heading towards Plaza de Cibeles, where many fans had gathered in the iconic square since the early hours of the morning.
Many Spanish fans celebrated well into the morning on Monday because the final was played across the Atlantic in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and the final whistle blew just minutes before midnight local time in Spain.
La Roja secured the title in New Jersey after a 1-0 victory against Argentina, with striker Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal in extra time.
Thousands of fans lined Madrid’s historic avenues, cheering on the team as the procession moved towards Plaza de Cibeles, the traditional epicenter of Spanish football celebrations.
Marc Cucurella, who played every minute at left back for Spain during the World Cup, was seen holding the trophy and celebrating with fans on the parade route.
Once the team arrived at Plaza de Cibeles, Cucurella took the microphone and sang a viral chant using his last name that went viral in 2024.
The last time Spain was world champion, Lamine Yamal was barely old enough to walk. Sixteen years later, the 19-year-old Barcelona star was in the middle of the championship celebrations as a key contributor.
However, Yamal wasn’t the only member of her family in the spotlight this summer, as her younger brother Keyne stole the show with one viral moment after another.
The striker saw someone in the crowd holding a Keyne sign, eventually passing it to him and holding it up on the bus for everyone to see.
Cucurella is not the only player in Spain who can sing into the microphone, as Yamal was seen singing alongside Bad Bunny on the parade bus.
When the team arrived at the Plaza de Cibeles for the final ceremony, the energy was still high even though night was already falling in Madrid.
The players were then introduced individually and Spain captain and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri received one of the biggest ovations of the night.
The celebrations in Madrid marked the end of a 16-year championship drought for the country.
Spain captain Rodri recovered from a devastating knee injury in 2024 to lift the World Cup trophy and win the Ballon d’Or two years later. (Photo by José Oliva/Europa Press via Getty Images)
After a complete transition from the veterans who defined previous eras to a squad led by teenage stars, versatile midfielders like Rodri and a stellar defense that only conceded one goal in the entire tournament, Spain’s day in the capital marked the arrival of a new team to the top of international football.
