Spain erupts in celebration after second World Cup title

MADRID: Crowds filled streets and public squares across Spain late into Sunday night and early Monday after the national team beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to claim its second World Cup title.

In Madrid, thousands celebrated with fireworks, red flares and Spanish flags as supporters watched La Roja secure the trophy through Ferran Torres’s extra-time goal in New Jersey. Fans from different parts of Spain and abroad gathered in the capital for the occasion, with many vowing to stay on for the team’s homecoming celebrations.

Mario, a supporter from Barcelona, said he had travelled to Madrid to share the moment with other fans in the capital.

I drove here from Barcelona to see the game with the fans here ⁠in Madrid because I am from Barcelona. And tomorrow we’ll wait for the players here to celebrate with them.

Reuters reported that Islem flew from Tunisia to Madrid to support Spain, saying the trip had been worthwhile.

I know it was worth ⁠it and I knew they would win, Viva España.

Another fan, Alvaro, who came from Malaga to watch the match on a giant screen in Madrid, spoke of his delight after the victory.

"I’m so happy. It’s so beautiful!"

Celebrations were also reported in cities and towns across the country after the final whistle. In Barcelona, where several Spanish players feature for the reigning La Liga champions, supporters set off fireworks and gathered on the beaches as festivities continued into the night.

In Mataro, about 30 kilometres north of Barcelona, residents of Rocafonda celebrated in the neighbourhood where teenage forward Lamine Yamal grew up. Supporters waved flags and cheered in the streets of the working-class, multi-ethnic area, where his grandmother and a cousin still live and where residents continue to regard him as one of their own.

Yamal learned football on Rocafonda’s streets and that a mural on the local community pitch commemorates the player. Born in Spain to a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, he has used his ‘304’ hand gesture in tribute to the neighbourhood’s postal code. During the World Cup, he wore a headband bearing Rocafonda’s name, displayed the flags of his parents’ countries on his boots, and said football reflected racial and social integration.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez marked the win in a post on X, writing:

We are World Champions!! Our national team was great! Thanks, team!

US President Donald Trump and Sanchez, whose ties have been described as strained, exchanged a brief handshake before the match, according to Spanish newspaper El País.