Thousands of fans trooped to the streets of Birmingham on Thursday to welcome Aston Villa players after they defeated Freiburg 3-0 to win the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League title on Wednesday.

Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers were all on the scoresheet in the finale at the Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul, ending Aston Villa’s 30-year wait to win a major silverware.

On their return to the UK on Thursday, more than 20,000 supporters were estimated to have gathered at the Centenary Square to see the players with the Europa League trophy, while hundreds lined the streets as the team’s bus paraded through the city.

“And of course we are so, so proud of you. This moment is really fantastic, our heart is your heart, your heart is our heart,” Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said while addressing the crowd at the parade.

Defender Tyrone Mings, who also spoke at the event, stated, “We celebrated very hard,” he said. “I’m sure you guys have too… I just want to say thank you so much. What a fan base, what a set of players. We are so grateful for all of you showing up today.”

“For everyone who could not understand John McGinn, he said thank you for your support. It has been a tough start to the season, down to me! Not scoring goals. The boys said I was playing with a blindfold on. Thankfully I managed to get some goals in the end,” forward Ollie Watkins said.

Before the triumph on Wednesday, Aston Villa had not won any trophy since lifting the EFL Cup title during the 1995/96 season.