MADRID (AP):Spain’s World Cup-winning football team returned home yesterday, where the 26-man squad was greeted by the country’s royals before meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.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 champions Argentina 1-0 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was only the second time — after a 2010 victory in South Africa — that they had won the title.The team was congratulated by the leaders of the three countries that co-hosted the tournament — US 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 colours.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 Álvarez 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 per cent 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 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).