Empire State Building lights up yellow and red in celebration of Spain's World Cup victory

Published: 06:35, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 06:38, 20 July 2026 New York City's iconic Empire State Building lit up in yellow and red to celebrate Spain's World Cup victory on Sunday night. The Spanish team clinched their second ever World Cup title after beating Lionel Messi's Argentina 1-0 in extra time at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, following a late strike from forward Ferran Torres. 'SPAIN WINS IT ALL! 1-0,' the official page for the Empire State Building Observation Deck posted on X. 'We’re shining red and yellow above New York tonight in celebration of the @SEFutbol national football team.' The display came as fans swarmed into New York City's Times Square, where they were seen singing, dancing, chanting and waving red and yellow Spanish flags until the early morning hours on 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 seen in the area and - those who were there - appeared dejected, deflated and downbeat after their loss. New York City's iconic Empire State Building lit up red and yellow on Sunday night to celebrate Spain's World Cup victory Nearby 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 Though spirits were high among Spain fans, 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.  No option proved as popular as Times Square for Spanish fans to celebrate their triumph As pictured by The Daily Mail's John Taggart, several individuals were placed in riot cuffs Many Team Argentina fans in Times Square were left devastated by Sunday's loss  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.  Similar scenes were reported in Madrid, where adults were seen weeping tears of joy in wire photos as their fellow citizens lit road flares and blew into plastic horns. Some even performed Norway's Viking row, which had become a staple for that team throughout its tourney run. There were big screen televisions erected across Spain for Sunday's final, as around 20,000 people were expected at Plaza de Colón and another 15,000 fans at the Madrid Rio park in the center of town. Other large cities, such as Barcelona, had similar public viewing areas. And, as was the case in Madrid, thousands were seen flooding the streets to celebrate. When Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was then seen awarding championship medals to Team Spain, his constituents were seen in viral videos stopping traffic to dance and chant along major roadways. Many drivers even got into the act by honking along to the blaring music. Spanish fans celebrate in central Madrid after Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final Even in quieter areas of Madrid, fans were still heard tooting horns out of apartment windows and doing celebratory call-and-response chants from one building to another. But nothing went viral quite like the scene in the immediate aftermath of Torres' goal, as seemingly everyone in the country of 47 million appeared to simultaneously jump into each other's arms. 'It was a goal scored by 47 million people,' Torres said after the win.