Spain's World Cup-winning football team is set to receive a heroes' welcome on Monday as the 26-man squad returns home following its 1-0 victory over defending champion Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The players will be welcomed by King Felipe VI, other members of the Spanish royal family and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez before boarding an open-top bus for a victory parade through central Madrid.

Thousands of supporters are expected to line the route from near Moncloa Palace, the prime minister's official residence, to Cibeles Square, where a public celebration will be held. The square has traditionally hosted celebrations for Spain's national teams and their supporters.

Spain secured only its second men's World Cup title, having previously lifted the trophy in South Africa in 2010.

Celebrations erupted across Madrid immediately after Sunday's final whistle, with thousands of fans filling the streets, waving Spanish flags, wearing the national team's colours, singing, dancing and setting off flares as car horns echoed across the capital. Many celebrated into the early hours of Monday.

"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.

Spain also became the first country to simultaneously hold both the men's and women's World Cup titles, following the women's triumph in 2023.

The celebrations were overshadowed by tragedy after local authorities said a 13-year-old boy died in Salamanca, northwest of Madrid, when a fountain he had climbed onto with friends during the celebrations collapsed.

Ahead of the team's arrival, supporters gathered at Madrid's Barajas Airport and around Cibeles Square, many wearing Spain jerseys, waving national flags and carrying umbrellas as temperatures were forecast to reach 35 degrees Celsius.