• Spain's World Cup winners during the victory parade in Madrid. Reuters
    Spain's World Cup winners during the victory parade in Madrid. Reuters
  • Ferran Torres, centre, with his Spain teammates during the 2026 World Cup Trophy parade in Madrid. Getty Images
    Ferran Torres, centre, with his Spain teammates during the 2026 World Cup Trophy parade in Madrid. Getty Images
  • Players hoist coach Luis De La Fuente on stage at Cibeles Square during the World Cup victory parade. Reuters
    Players hoist coach Luis De La Fuente on stage at Cibeles Square during the World Cup victory parade. Reuters
  • Spain's World Cup winners in an open-top bus during the victory parade in Madrid. AFP
    Spain's World Cup winners in an open-top bus during the victory parade in Madrid. AFP
  • Players ride along the Plaza de la Moncloa. Reuters
    Players ride along the Plaza de la Moncloa. Reuters
  • Fans at Cibeles Square gave Spain's players a heroes' welcome. AFP
    Fans at Cibeles Square gave Spain's players a heroes' welcome. AFP
  • A supporter holds up a cardboard trophy cutout with coach Spain De la Fuente's face. AFP
    A supporter holds up a cardboard trophy cutout with coach Spain De la Fuente's face. AFP
  • Spain's players celebrate on stage at Cibeles Square. Reuters
    Spain's players celebrate on stage at Cibeles Square. Reuters
  • Close to two million fans attended the victory parade. Reuters
    Close to two million fans attended the victory parade. Reuters
  • Defender Marc Cucurella, centre, with the World Cup trophy at Cibeles Square. AFP
    Defender Marc Cucurella, centre, with the World Cup trophy at Cibeles Square. AFP
  • Pop stars Lola Indigo and Ana Mena during the trophy parade. Getty Images
    Pop stars Lola Indigo and Ana Mena during the trophy parade. Getty Images
  • Spain's Rodri celebrates with the World Cup trophy alongside his teammates. Reuters
    Spain's Rodri celebrates with the World Cup trophy alongside his teammates. Reuters
  • Fans pack the Cibeles Square. AFP
    Fans pack the Cibeles Square. AFP

Spain receive heroes' welcome as world champions climb to top spot in Fifa rankings


Close to two million people gathered in Madrid as Spain's national team celebrated their World Cup victory with a grand open-top ​bus parade.

Numerous fans gathered in the Spanish capital to celebrate their national team's 1-0 ⁠win over Argentina during Sunday's final in New Jersey.

The Spanish players wore t-shirts that read “We are champions”, greeting supporters who had lined up the streets of Madrid.

Before the parade, the players met Spain's King Felipe VI ⁠and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

“I would ⁠like to give immense thanks to the staff and the players for your playing style, effort and victory,” Sanchez told the players.

Meanwhile, Spain overtook Argentina as the top-ranked team in the latest Fifa men's world rankings.

Argentina were the ⁠No 1 team in the world on June 11, the day the ⁠48-team World Cup started in Mexico. Spain entered the tournament second on the list.

France and England remained third and fourth, respectively, despite the Three Lions' 6-4 win over Kylian Mbappe's team in the ⁠World Cup third-place match.

Brazil and Morocco moved past Portugal to the fifth and sixth ​spots.

Mexico climbed four spots to 10th position after their strong showing at their home World Cup, reaching the last-16 where England secured a 3-2 win.

Co-hosts US moved up one spot to No 16 after winning their group and defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. The US, however, suffered a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, who are now ranked eighth in the world.

The biggest beneficiaries were Norway, who moved up 12 ⁠spots to 19th. Erling Haaland's team made a big impact in the finals, defeating Brazil in the last 16. However, they fell short against England in the quarter-finals – their best World ⁠Cup run in history.

Fifa world rankings

1). Spain

2). Argentina

3). France

4). England

5). Brazil

6). Morocco

7). Portugal

8). Belgium

9). Netherlands

10). Mexico

11). Colombia

12). Germany

13). Croatia

14). Switzerland

15). Italy

16). US

17). Japan

18). Senegal

19). Norway

20). Uruguay

21). Denmark

22). Iran

23). Austria

24). Egypt

25. Ecuador

Updated: July 21, 2026, 7:11 AM