New York bestowed its highest honor on the US women’s soccer team on Friday: a historic ticker-tape parade in Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes.

Tens of thousands of fans gathered in downtown Manhattan for a parade to celebrate the team’s World Cup victory over Japan – the first time a women’s team had been honored with a ticker-tape parade.

A screaming sea of red, white and blue cheered the players as they rolled by on floats and double-decker buses. Under a blizzard of confetti and shredded paper, the players smiled and waved. Some snapped pictures of the crowd. US midfielder Megan Rapinoe raised the World Cup trophy and a round of cheers rang out.

Megan Rapinoe of the US women’s national team with New York City mayor Bill de Blasio during the ticker-tape parade on Friday. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Following tradition, the parade traveled from the Battery, at the southern tip of the island, up Broadway – referred to as the Canyon of Heroes during such parades, though some fans on Friday believed Canyon of Heroines would have been more apt – and stopped at city hall. There, Mayor Bill de Blasio held a special ceremony to honor Team USA.

Among the earliest to line up for the parade was 16-year-old soccer player Addie Severs.

Severs said she watched the US women’s national team defeat Japan 5-2 from her grandmother’s home in Ohio.

“When they won I was just cheering and texting all of my friends,” said Addie, who plays midfield for a team in Hawaii, where she lives. “We stayed up late and watched all of the interviews.”

When De Blasio announced the city would honor the team with a parade, Addie decided she had to be there to cheer on the team – especially her idol, midfielder Tobin Heath.

It took only a little persuasion to convince her family. An eight-hour drive later, Addie, her family and her friends had prime spots behind the police barricades on Broadway.

Addie held a sign with a map of the US that read: “Where champions are born.” Her friend, MaKenna Huhnke, 12, held a sign with a gold medal that read: “One small step for woman. One giant leap for womankind.”

These family friends convinced their families to drive 7 hours from Ohio to see the #USWNTparade Good work! pic.twitter.com/QOJgyxxz0e — Lauren Gambino (@LGamGam) July 10, 2015

“The players are great role models,” said Addie’s mom, Tricia Severs. “It’s good to show the kids that you can aspire to be whatever you want to be.”

This was the third successful bid for World Cup glory from Team USA. In 1991 they won the inaugural Women’s World Cup, and in 1999 they defeated China on penalties to seize gold.

“I have vivid memories of watching Briana Scurry stop that penalty kick and winning,” said Erin Schaefer, describing the moment in the 1999 final when the US goalkeeper blocked a shot to help the US beat China. “It was amazing to watch as a young girl, watching them play. It was incredible.”

Schaefer, who sported a No9 Mia Hamm jersey, said she took the day off from work to attend the parade.

“I figured there’s no better reason to use annual leave then to celebrate something like this,” she said.

Fans lined Broadway in lower Manhattan to cheer on the US women’s national team. Photograph: Johns PKI/Splash News/Corbis

Schafer said she believed that women’s soccer had become dramatically more popular in the 16 years between the World Cup wins. The crowd – filled with teenage girls but also, notably, fans of all ages and genders – was a testament to women’s soccer’s growing fanbase.

Still, Schaefer said there was a long way to go before the women’s team earned parity with the men’s team, noting the pay disparity between the prizes award to World Cup winners. The US women’s team received a paltry $2m from Fifa, compared to the $35m awarded to Germany’s national soccer team when it won the World Cup in Brazil last summer.

But Schaefer was hopeful: “I think women’s soccer has got more appeal for everyone. There’s certainly more people interested in it than when I was young. I’m excited.”

The players seemed equally as enthusiastic.

“The World Cup was a dream come true,” said Carli Lloyd, who scored a hat trick in the final game against Japan, during the ceremony at city hall. “But the parade was one of the best moments of my life.”

“This absolutely will go down as one of, if not the best, things I have been a part of,” said Abby Wambach, who holds the world record for most international goals scored by a player. “What an honor.”

Sunday’s win set a high bar for the sport in the US, where soccer has steadily gained traction in recent years. The final game against Japan was the most-watched soccer match in US history, with just under 23 million viewers, according to Fox.

From White House to the set of Late Night with Seth Meyers, politicians, celebrities and athletes rallied support for Team USA. The ticker-tape parade was just one more example of the US commitment to closing the gender disparity on the playing field.