Argentina’s national football team, the runners-up of the FIFA World Cup 2026, were greeted with enthusiasm upon their return home after a 1-0 loss to Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium in New York. Despite the defeat, fans gathered in large numbers outside the Argentine Football Association (AFA) office near Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza to show their support.
Upon landing, the team was welcomed on the tarmac with a red carpet by the Grenadier Regiment and later by a crowd of fans. Fans, holding white and blue umbrellas and wearing Lionel Messi’s number 10 jersey, expressed their support, although Messi was not present as he was among the players who did not travel back with the team.
The returning delegation included players like Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, and Leandro Paredes, who were escorted under tight security to the Lionel Andres Messi Training Center. Fans lined the route with jerseys, flags, and drums, waiting for hours to thank the team for their World Cup efforts. The delegation was officially welcomed back by officials from the Argentine Football Association and the training center staff.
