World champions Argentina has returned home after their success in Qatar ahead of a welcome home party in Buenos Aires.

After beating France in Sunday’s exciting final, the players will spend the night at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training complex near the Ezeiza airport, where they landed in Buenos Aires and where thousands of fans were waiting to greet them.

Then, they will go to the famous Obelisk and start a tour of the city center of Buenos Aires at noon on Tuesday, which is a public holiday. Millions of people are expected to be out and about on the streets that day.

“We will be here all night and tomorrow as well,” student Ayrton Kerdocas, 25, told AFP outside the airport.

“Tomorrow we are not working, we won’t do anything and we’ll go directly to the Obelisk with Argentina.”

Argentina won their first world title in 36 years by winning the final in Qatar 4-2 on penalties after the game ended 3-3 after 120 minutes of nonstop action.

Messi, who scored twice in the final, was the first player to get off the plane, holding the World Cup high. His coach, Lionel Scaloni, was right behind him.

Forward Julian Alvarez was one of the next players to get off the Aerolinas Argentinas Airbus A330. His four goals in Qatar were a big surprise.

The plane’s tail had a picture of Messi and the words “one team, one country, one dream” on it.

As their World Cup theme song, “Muchachos” by ska band La Mosca played, the players walked from the plane along a red carpet to a white open-top bus with the words “world champions” and three stars on it.