New York City‘s Times Square was taken over by thousands of jubilant Spain fans on Sunday, who partied through the night after their team’s World Cup final success.
The iconic Big Apple landmark transformed into a sea of red and yellow – hours after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final – as fans swarmed to Midtown Manhattan.
Thousands of supporters were seen singing, dancing, chanting and waving Spanish flags as they took over Times Square from dusk until the early hours of Monday.
Many of the fans had attended a public watch party in the area, while thousands of others flocked from across the city – and MetLife Stadium itself – to celebrate.
It marked a stark contrast to how Times Square had looked just 24 hours earlier, when a myriad of Argentina fans gathered to start the festivities ahead of the game.
On Sunday, however, only a handful of La Albiceleste fans were left in the area and – those who were there – appeared dejected, deflated and downbeat after their loss.
Times Square was full of Spain World Cup fans into the early hours of Monday morning
The iconic New York landmark was taken over by supporters of La Roja after their historic win
Fans were seen singing, dancing and waving Spanish flags as they celebrated the result
New York’s iconic Empire State Building was lit up in red and yellow after Spain’s win
Despite the jubilant scenes, New York police were forced to make several arrests – with a handful of individuals seen being placed in handcuffs by officers.
Details of the arrests have not yet been released by New York police. An NYPD spokesperson told The Daily Mail late Sunday night that the total number of arrests was unknown because the suspects were still being processed.
As for the crimes, the NYPD spokesperson said the suspects are accused of disorderly conduct.
In one exclusive photo, a Spain fan wearing a Lamine Yamal jersey is seen being led away by two officers. Another man in a pink t-shirt and matching shorts was also apprehended, as was a shirtless man seen in a video on Instagram.
However, while the party ended early for those fans, other Spain supporters were seen raising replica trophies, blowing horns and crowd surfing in the wake of the country’s second World Cup win.
Meanwhile, in lower Manhattan, red-clad revelers took over the city’s High Line, which is a park raised on an old rail line 30 feet above the city streets.
But Sunday’s most hectic scene was Times Square, which had been a beehive of activity throughout the tournament.
Fans who couldn’t afford four-figure ticket prices had dozens of watch parties to choose from throughout the five boroughs, but no option proved as popular as Times Square’s seemingly endless array of towering electronic billboards.
No option proved as popular as Times Square for Spanish fans to celebrate their triumph
The streets of Midtown Manhattan were swarmed by thousands of supporters after the win
Despite the jubilant scenes, a number of individuals were arrested by New York police Sunday. Details of the numerous arrests in Times Square were not made immediately clear.
As pictured by The Daily Mail’s John Taggart, several individuals were placed in riot cuffs
New York Police Department officers stand guard as fans gather in Times Square
Times Square has been a hive of activity throughout the World Cup, despite the fact that local tournament games such as Sunday’s final were actually played at MetLife Stadium
Many visitors from Spain and Argentina did cross the Atlantic for the World Cup, but rather than pack into Times Square, they decided to splurge on tickets.
‘Money comes back,’ Buenos Aires resident Manuel Lopez Maccotta told The Associated Press. ‘This is once in a lifetime. You´re seeing the best player in the world [Lionel Messi] in his last World Cup. Money is worthless compared to this.’
And how much did he pay?
‘Almost 10K in American money,’ said Maccotta, whose friend got off relatively easy with a $5,000 ticket.
‘I bought the ticket before the World Cup final,’ Santiago Burcaco told the AP.
Argentina and Spain fans were comrades in this struggle.
Madrid’s Curro Sanchez spent $8,000 on his ticket, and will now be staying in the city through Thursday.
‘Had a big, big, big fight with my wife,’ Sanchez told the AP. ‘At the end of the day, she understood.’
The Spanish festivities in Times Square began immediately after the final whistle went
Many Team Argentina fans in New York City were left devastated by Sunday’s loss to Spain
A devastated Argentina fan is seen sulking on Sunday in New York’s Times Square
Sunday’s World Cup finale was settled in extra time after Spain’s Ferran Torres found the back of the net in 106th minute – after a stalemate in regulation time.
US President Donald Trump ended up taking center stage at MetLife Stadium as he awkwardly invaded Spain’s iconic trophy lift at the end of the FIFA World Cup final.
Shortly after the full-time whistle, the US President made his way down to the field, where he was loudly booed by the crowd before making his way onto the stage alongside FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.
Trump and Infantino handed out various awards to match officials and players, before officially welcoming Spain’s players up to the stage to lift the World Cup trophy.
The US President presented the prestigious title to Spain captain Rodri, who took great pleasure in raising it aloft in East Rutherford.
Much like when he presented the Club World Cup title last summer, Trump stood awkwardly alongside the Spain squad as they lifted the trophy and celebrated wildly.
It seemed as though, when Spain were about to perform the trophy lift, Infantino had attempted to usher Trump away from the players – though the President remained.
He stood to the side of the squad as the confetti cannons went off at MetLife Stadium, clapping and grinning while Infantino laughed off Trump’s awkward cameo.
Donald Trump took center stage as Spain lifted the World Cup trophy on Sunday afternoon
Trump and Infantino stood on stage as golden confetti rained down around them in New Jersey
There were an estimated 1.5-1.8 billion viewers tuning in to watch the summer tournament’s showpiece finale, where Trump and Infantino took center stage once again.
Loud boos had come from the stands when Infantino and Trump made their way onto the pitch, as fans made their feelings on the duo undoubtedly clear.
Earlier in the day, Trump and his wife Melania were seen taking in the action inside a packed MetLife Stadium suite – alongside FIFA President Infantino, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Trump also shook hands with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as Infantino stood beside them.
Spain’s Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI also greeted the president. Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, is watching the game from home due to ‘superstition,’ The New York Times reported.
The commander-in-chief also waved at the crowd from behind the glass.
Inside the private suite, Infantino posed for pictures with the president’s son, Eric Trump, his wife, Lara, and their children. Barron Trump also showed up for the big game.
Ahead of the match, Trump told Fox News’ Jenny Taft on the FIFA Red Carpet that ‘it’s hard to bet against Messi,’ speaking of Argentina’s 39-year-old star.
However, in the end, it wasn’t to be for the veteran soccer star after he and Argentina came up short in their battle against European outfit Spain in East Rutherford.
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