Unbridled euphoria in Barcelona to celebrate Spain's second World Cup

Barcelona27,000 people, according to police sources, gathered on the marine platform of Barcelona's Fòrum to experience the World Cup final together. The majority were fans of the Spanish national team, but there was also a large representation of Argentinians. Like Mariella and Laura, two Argentinians who have been living in Catalonia for a long time. "The sea inspires us. We've come here with a couple of guts. Until the end with the national team," they confided.

After the match, the party moved to Plaça de Catalunya, where some 13,000 fans gathered; the Arc de Triomf, with about 5,000; and Plaça d'Espanya, with a thousand. The Mossos d'Esquadra's report for the World Cup final celebration is three arrests, two for violent robbery of a mobile phone on Ronda de Sant Pau and a third for the theft of a backpack. On the other hand, the Emergency Medical System (SEM) provided 29 services, of which 24 were minor and five were serious. Of the total, 13 people were discharged at the scene and 16 required transfer to a health center.

Compared to Spain's last World Cup victory in 2010, the figures are very low: 16 years ago, the final was watched on a large screen installed on Avinguda Maria Cristina where the Guardia Urbana estimated attendance at 75,000 people. After the match, about 20,000 people remained, and the night ended with 21 arrests and many disturbances.

"May the best team win"

It was six in the Sunday afternoon and the metro was already full of fans wearing the Spanish team's jersey. With three hours left until the grand final against Argentina began, the match was already starting in the streets of Barcelona. The red jerseys and Spanish flags colored the center of the Catalan capital. No one wanted to miss the event. Olena, Ukrainian by birth, didn't have a clear favorite. "May the best win," she acknowledged, with an Argentine and Spanish flag on her back. Shania and Lanya are two Swedes who timed their vacations to come and watch the match in Barcelona. "I'm a Barça fan, I'm with Argentina for Messi and with Spain for the Barça players," they confessed, dressed in the Argentine jersey and a Spanish scarf. On the other hand, Pedro, a Brazilian who is also on vacation in Barcelona, was against Argentina.

When there were still two hours left before the referee blew the whistle to start the match, thousands of people had already gathered at the Forum to cheer non-stop despite the more than 6,000 kilometers separating Barcelona from New York. Waving Flag, Danza Kuduro or Superestrella, the song of the Spanish national team in this World Cup, made their presence felt in what seemed like a disco (Bad Bunny was also there).

The whistles are carried away by the screen

“There are nerves, but we are calm because Spain is better at the game and we believe they will win easily,” Abel and Aitor assured. “Argentina depends on Messi, while we have many players who make a team. If one isn't doing well, another appears,” they added. Iker, Mauro, and Iván were more tense, although all three trusted Luis de la Fuente. “We will be superior, but then it will get complicated for us. It will end 2-1,” they predicted.

With the Fòrum's marine platform packed to the brim - hundreds of people watched from behind the fences so as not to miss a minute of the final while waiting to enter -, the first applause was for Lamine Yamal and the Spanish anthem. On the other hand, the first whistles were for the screen, which at the moment of the penalties and during certain moments of the match froze for a few seconds.

If anyone wanted to take a hydration break, they had to assume they would miss a good part of the match. Very long queues that not even the initial whistle dissipated. “I’ve been here for two hours. I just want a water,” could be heard. A single tent and four boxes to give food and drink to 20,000 people. Both the match broadcast and the entertainment were done in Catalan.

After 90 minutes of suffering, with some scattered applause -like the appearance on the field of Pedri, Ferran Torres and Nico Williams-, the fans erupted in joy with Enzo Fernández’s sending off in added time. They also did so with Nico Williams’ goal, although the joy only lasted a few seconds, until people realized that the goal had been disallowed for a previous foul.

Tiredness was evident on the field and in Barcelona. Many took advantage of the break to rest for a while on the ground, but they quickly got up to celebrate Ferran Torres’ goal. The third euphoria of the night, which lit red flares in the Forum. And there was still a fourth moment of euphoria with Ferran’s second goal, but it was again disallowed for offside.

A peculiar scenario

Just as it happened sixteen years ago, Barcelona once again set up a giant screen to follow the World Cup final. And it did so in a setting with a historic past. During Francoism, in this area of Barcelona there was El Camp de la Bota, a historic shantytown where the French army settled in the 19th century and which, years later, Francoism would use to execute around 1,700 people who defended the republic. This Sunday it was filled with fans who celebrated the Spanish national team's second star.