Hundreds of thousands are lining the streets of Buenos Aires as Lionel Messi and his Argentina embarked on their World Cup victory parade.
The team left the headquarters of the nation's football federation, presenting itself to the ecstatic fans from an open top bus in the parade to culminate at the famous obelisk on Plaza de la Repúblic in where millions already celebrated after Sunday's final and large crowds were gathering again Tuesday. The team presented the World Cup trophy as the bus moved at a very slow speed.
Reports said that train stations and trains were overcrowded as Argentinians made their way to the parade, with mobile phone networks also reaching their limits.
Argentina President Alberto Fernández had declared Tuesday a national holiday so that everyone in the country could celebrate their third World Cup title, won on Sunday in Qatar on penalties against France. The team had returned home in the early hours of Tuesday.
