Argentina World Cup homecoming: Time, date and where to watch Lionel Messi & Co.'s celebrations
It's the homecoming Lionel Messi has always dreamed of. The Argentina hero and his team-mates return to home this week to celebrate their World Cup triumph with their fans.
The South American nation has been waiting for this joyous occasion for 36 years, when Diego Maradona last guided the national team to global success.
A heroes' welcome awaits the likes of Messi, Julian Alvarez, Angel Di Maria and coach Lionel Scaloni, and it promises to be a wonderful party
So, if you want to continue soaking up the jubilation of Argentina, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about the world champions homecoming.
When is the Argentina World Cup homecoming?
Argentina landed at the Ezeiza International Airport in Greater Buenos Aires in the early hours of Tuesday.
The likes of Messi, Alvarez and Di Maria were on the flight and then driven to the headquarters of the Argentina Football Association (AFA), to spend the rest of the night.
Then, at around 10.30am local time (13.30 GMT), the celebrations commenced with their adoring supporters.
Where is Argentina's World Cup homecoming?
The celebrations are due to take place at the Obelisco in Buenos Aires.
The Obelisco is an iconic and historic monument in the Plaza de la Republica in Buenos Aires. The large monument was constructed in 1936 to mark the 400th year of the city's founding, marking the spot that the country's flag was first raised in the city.
It stands tall at the intersection of Buenos Aires' most important streets - the main arteries of the city - Avenida 9 de Julio and Avenida Corrientes.
The team will be picked up by a coach at the AFA headquarters and travel along the Ricchieri highway to the 25 de Mayo highway to enter the city of Buenos Aires.
The bus will then head along to the Avenida 9 de Julio before arriving at the Obelisco. However, the amount of fans on the streets mean the bus has had to take a diversion.
Needless to say it’s proving tricky to organize such a massive parade. The bus was rerouted from the Obelisco to the motorway at the start of 9 de Julio and this is the scene there pic.twitter.com/oOrazMiJbT
— GOLAZO (@golazoargentino) December 20, 2022
The event has also been delayed purely due to the huge numbers of people who have taken to the streets to celebrate Argentina's World Cup triumph.
Event was meant to start at 12:30pm local time with the bus meant to be arriving from 25 de mayo highway. But this is it right now lol pic.twitter.com/lqKMKTgUHC
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) December 20, 2022
A huge party is expected at the Obelisco when the team returns. After all, it was the site of incredible celebrations on Sunday after Argentina won the World Cup, so we can expect another huge turnout.
— . (@Videos_TS1) December 19, 2022
So it's time to brush up on the lyrics of Argentina's famous 'Muchachos' chant and sing along with the fans as there will likely be plenty of renditions of it.
Where can you watch & stream Argentina's World Cup homecoming?
Argentina's famous sports television channels TyC Sports or TNT Sports may be broadcasting the celebrations. Public television channel TVP may also broadcast the goings on at the Obelisco, while there will likely be plenty of coverage on the Argentina team's official Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts.
Who will be at Argentina's World Cup homecoming party?
The Argentina squad will of course be the main focus of the celebrations at the Obelisco.
However, expect many famous faces to appear to join in the jubilee.
Argentina president Alberto Fernandez may not be present, however, as it has been reported that he would rather welcome the team at the Casa Rosada - where the president's office is - rather than attend a public meeting.
But there will likely be plenty of former Argentina stars, national celebrities and other politicians in attendance to share in the joy with their compatriots.