Spain's world champions head home to million-strong Madrid welcome
Sports
By
AFP
| Jul 20, 2026
Spain's World Cup winners were due home on Monday to a heroes' welcome in Madrid where a million fans are expected to greet them after a night of raucous celebrations across the country.
The triumph has sparked an outpouring of national pride in football-mad Spain, where many younger supporters had never witnessed the men's team lift the World Cup since their only previous title came in South Africa in 2010.
Fresh from their 1-0 victory over Argentina in Sunday's final in East Rutherford, United States, coach Luis de la Fuente's squad is due to land in Madrid at 12:50 pm (1050 GMT) with the golden trophy.
The players are then expected to be received by King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez before climbing aboard an open-top bus for a parade through central Madrid beginning at around 4:30 pm.
They will travel from near the Moncloa Palace, the prime minister's official residence, to Cibeles Square, the central government's representative in Madrid, Francisco Martin, told Spanish public television.
READ MORE
KTDA warns critics against circulating leaked loan data
More pain at the pump as Epra hikes oil firms' margins by Sh7
How bid to formalise small businesses is doing more harm than good
Family Bank profit soars to ShSh3.7b as Absa ups dividend amid profit dip
The businesses that survive the next decade will be the ones that learned to read risk
Public participation: Bar owners petition House over the Tobacco Bill
Why women micro-entrepreneurs say no to good credit
TVS bets on Kenya as electric two-wheeler market gathers pace
Kenya to host key Africa blockchain festival 2026 in October
A ceremony involving the players will then be held at the square, the traditional gathering point for celebrations by the Spanish national team and its supporters.
Around one million people are expected to line the parade route, with additional security and transport measures planned to handle the crowds, Martin said.
A total of 2,050 police officers and 400 Civil Guard personnel will be deployed, he added.
The precise timetable for the festivities had not been fully confirmed on Monday morning, however, with Sanchez scheduled to make a brief visit to Algeria before returning to Spain in the afternoon.
The royal household had also yet to confirm whether the king would attend the celebrations.
The scenes are expected to echo the celebrations that followed Spain's first World Cup title in 2010, when hundreds of thousands of supporters flooded Madrid's streets to welcome the team home after their victory in South Africa.