Spain's King Felipe Congratulates the World Soccer Champions

Rodri carried the gold trophy as carefully as if it were a baby as the captain and the other World Cup heroes stepped off the plane upon their arrival in Madrid and set foot on Spanish soil once again. After a quick group photo in front of the plane, they continued their journey by bus.

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Über eine Million Menschen feierten ihre Weltmeister

Image: Keystone

The marathon of celebrations left the tired but overjoyed world champions with hardly any time to truly process their well-deserved victory in the final against Argentina, with all the emotions that came with it.

Royal Reception and Congratulations

In the early evening, King Felipe VI—who had personally witnessed the triumph as a die-hard fan in East Rutherford, near New York—welcomed the team. The players had swapped their practice gear for suits for the festive occasion. “You’re tired—but what a wonderful kind of tiredness. Congratulations,” said the monarch at the Palacio Real in Madrid.

The king congratulated the “selección” on an “epic” triumph following a true “odyssey” and praised the qualities of a “legendary and historic team.” There is still much to celebrate. “Enjoy every kiss, every gesture of appreciation, because you’ve earned them,” the king added. He thanked the team on behalf of all Spaniards and noted that Spain is now the reigning soccer world champion in both men’s and women’s soccer.

King Felipe VI of Spain, his wife Letizia, and their daughters Leonor and Infanta Sofía are celebrating the World Cup victory with the players and staff.

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Afterward, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez planned to personally greet the World Champions before the players were to ride through Madrid on an open-top bus—cheered on by hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets and gathered in Cibeles Square. “We’re really looking forward to coming to Spain. A lot of people couldn’t be here, and we want to celebrate with everyone,” left back Marc Cucurella had said before departure. “I think we’ve earned a good celebration.”

Spain Hailed as the Savior of Soccer

Immediately after their 1-0 victory in extra time against Argentina—led by the largely invisible superstar Lionel Messi—the Spanish team kicked off their big championship celebration. Lamine Yamal romped around on the field with his three-year-old brother Keyne and then posed for a commemorative photo with Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere got lively thanks to loud music and huge bottles of champagne, and later the party continued just outside New York City. “We just celebrated—the way a world champion does,” said Dani Olmo.

The joy was, however, dampened by the behavior of the Argentines, who, in their frustration, came across as sore losers: They raged, some even resorted to physical altercations, and pointedly turned their backs on the winners during the trophy ceremony—thereby inadvertently making the Spaniards’ triumph even greater.

Nicht nur Paredes

Auch Argentiniens Co-Trainer geht nach Final-Pleite auf Spanier los

“Spain didn’t just win a final,” wrote the Spanish sports newspaper *Marca*: “It saved soccer.” The British “Telegraph” wrote: “Soccer 1, criminals 0.” And former DFB captain Toni Kroos wrote on X: “Soccer has won.”

The Empire State Building is lit up in red and yellow

On the field, the final was a show of dominance against the defending champions, who could do little more than rely on rough play and petty fouls to hold their ground. Rodri and his teammates were deservedly presented with the trophy by U.S. President Donald Trump. The fact that Trump, just as he had done after last year’s Club World Cup final, refused to leave the stage for the first victory photos and was only gently escorted to the side by FIFA President Gianni Infantino after a few seconds was, this time, more of a footnote.

Sachen gibt's

Spaniens Weltmeister lassen Messi weinen – und Trump schleicht sich aufs Pokal-Foto

The winners certainly didn't care about that. The Empire State Building was lit up in red and yellow in honor of the Iberians.