Madness in Madrid as fans celebrate Spain’s dramatic World Cup win over Argentina by flooding capital streets
The streets of Madrid were already packed as the clock approached midnight in the Spanish capital, but fans had nothing to applaud until Ferran Torres’ winning goal in the 106th minute of Sunday’s World Cup Final.
Shortly afterwards, referee Slavko Vinčić blew the final whistle to ensure Spain beat Argentina 1-0, sparking a massive celebration in Plaza de Colón and the city of 3.4 million.
Telegraph photographs showed adults crying tears of joy as citizens lit road flares and blew plastic horns. Some even performed Norway’s Viking rowing demonstration, which became a fixture for the team throughout its tournament run.
Of course, much of the evening was spent standing tensely at public viewing parties as Argentina and Spain remained deadlocked at 0-0.
Big screen televisions were set up across Spain for Sunday’s final; Around 20,000 people were expected to be in Plaza de Colón and another 15,000 in Madrid Rio park in the city centre.
Other major cities such as Barcelona had similar public viewing areas. As in Madrid, thousands of people were seen taking to the streets to celebrate the country’s second World Cup victory.
There weren’t much in the way of fireworks or public drinking, but fans did light some flares
Spanish fans celebrate in central Madrid after Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final.
Wire photographs showed adults shedding tears of joy as citizens lit road flares and blew plastic horns after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final.
Madrid’s Plaza de Colón proved to be Spain’s busiest party on Sunday evening
Spain fans watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final in the public fan zone in Barcelona
While Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez awarded championship medals to Team Spain, his voters were seen in viral videos stopping traffic on main roads to dance and chant slogans.
Many drivers even joined in the loud music by honking their horns.
Even in quieter parts of Madrid, fans could be heard honking their horns from apartment windows and chanting celebratory call-and-response slogans from one building to another.
Earlier in the day, tense moments were captured on camera as fans rushed to sit in the front rows at Plaza de Colón. Despite the danger posed by thousands of fans rushing to grab a piece of real estate, there were no immediate reports of any injuries.
But nothing went viral like the scene immediately after Torres’ goal; it seemed like everyone in the country of 47 million was jumping into each other’s arms at the same time.
“This was a goal scored by 47 million people,” Torres said after the win.
