World Cup squad arrives in Argentina with muted mood despite fan acclaim

The Argentine mens national football team arrived in Buenos Aires on Monday after their 1-0 loss in the 2026 World Cup final against Spain. Despite the loss, thousands of people moved to Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini (Ezeiza) international airport to welcome the players.  Aeropuertos Argentina, the company that manages Argentina’s airport infrastructure, painted a 150-meter-long message on the runway, visible from the air, with the word Gracias (Thank You) in giant letters. We came here from San Juan, said one of the fans in attendance to TV outlet TN. It was a nine-hour trip After greeting the pilots and flight attendants, the first player to disembark was team vice captain Nicols Otamendi, accompanied by head coach Lionel Scaloni and Argentine Football Association president Claudio Chiqui Tapia.  Emiliano Dibu Martnez, Leandro Paredes, Lisandro Martnez, Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Cuti Romero, Enzo Fernndez, and Lautaro Martnez were among the biggest stars present. None of Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, Julin lvarez, Gernimo Rulli, Nicols Paz, Nahuel Molina and Juan Musso were on the return trip. Messi is expected to travel to Argentina on Wednesday to visit his family in Rosario. There was no official government welcome, but the team got an honorary tribute by the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers, Argentinas national ceremonial unit, who played an orchestral arrangement of Muchachos, Argentinas iconic Qatar 2022 stadium chant. After landing, the team took a direct trip to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) complex in Ezeiza. They moved in two buses, with the players waving and greeting fans from a roofless car similar to the one used after their Qatar 2022 win, under a police escort.