11:55 AM
Tens of thousands of German football fans are giving a hero's welcome to the World Cup-winning team in Berlin.
Many had gathered since daybreak to welcome the triumphant players who touched down from Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday morning. Huge crowds lined their bus route into the capital.
The main celebrations are taking place at the Brandenburg Gate, where the players will display the famous trophy.
It was the fourth German cup win and the first since reunification in 1990.
Berlin transformed
The team's 1-0 victory over Argentina in Sunday's final sparked delirious scenes across Germany which are culminating in Tuesday's celebrations in the centre of Berlin as the team arrived in an open-top bus emblazoned with the years they have won the competition - 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014.
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| The winning team's Boeing 747 landed at Tegel airport after flying a lap of honour over the "fan mile" in front of the landmark Brandenburg Gate |
There is a carnival atmosphere in the city, with thousands taking the day off to witness the spectacle even though Tuesday is not officially a holiday.
Earlier fans gathered on a viewing stage at Tegel airport to witness the arrival of the plane, a Lufthansa jet rebranded "Fanhansa" for the team.
"This is a historic event," 34-year-old bus driver Bernd Hesse told the AFP news agency.
He said that fans of the team had waited 24 years for a German World Cup victory.
"It's not every day that you get to see something like this," Mr Hesse said.
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| Demand for replica World Cup shirts - especially those with four stars on to mark the country's fourth title - has reached an all-time high |
Those members of the team that play for Bayern Munich will also get a separate welcome parade in Munich later.
The triumphant side will appear on a stage in front of the Brandenburg Gate at one end of what is called the Fan Mile, where hundreds of thousands of people watched on big screens as Germany won the trophy on Sunday.
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