AMSTERDAM: The Dutch football team, who were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the World Cup final, will return to a heroes welcome and a parade along the canals of Amsterdam on Tuesday afternoon, city officials confirmed.

"The players will parade in a boat which will navigate the canals of Amsterdam. The tour will last between two and two and a half hours," Guus Schoker, spokesman for the city of Amsterdam, told AFP on Monday.

"The fans will gather along the banks of the canals and can see the players."

The Oranje will then make their way to a specially-erected podium at the Museumplein in the city centre where 180,000 fans gathered on Sunday night to watch the final on a giant screen.

It was the third defeat in a World Cup final for the Netherlands after 1974 and 1978.

Bert van Marwijk`s side are due to land at Amsterdam-Schiphol`s airport at 15:30GMT on Monday from South Africa, Dutch football federation spokeswoman Hilde Bruggink told AFP.

They will be escorted into Dutch airspace by a F-16 fighter jet painted orange for the occasion. The players will then be transferred by military helicopter to a hotel where they will be reunited with their families.

The team will be received on Tuesday morning in The Hague by Queen Beatrix and outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

BDST: 1755hrs, July 12, 2010