Spain's world champions head home to million-strong Madrid welcome

MADRID — Spain's World Cup winners headed home on Monday to a heroes' welcome in Madrid, where a million fans are expected to greet them after a night of raucous celebrations across the country.

The triumph has sparked an outpouring of national pride in football-mad Spain, where many younger supporters had never witnessed the men's team lift the World Cup since their only previous title came in South Africa in 2010.

The national delirium was tempered on Monday after local authorities said that a teenager died when a fountain onto which he and others climbed to celebrate the victory collapsed in the west of the country.

Fresh from their 1-0 victory over Argentina in Sunday's final in East Rutherford, United States, coach Luis de la Fuente's squad is due to land in Madrid at 12:50 pm (1050 GMT) with the golden trophy.

The players are then expected to be received by King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez before climbing aboard an open-top bus for a parade through central Madrid beginning at around 4:30 pm.

They will travel from near the Moncloa Palace, the prime minister's officia ...