Fireworks go off as artists perform during the opening ceremony before the Euro 2020 soccer championship group A match between Turkey and Italy at the Olympic stadium in Rome, Italy, on June 11, 2021. (ETTORE FERRARI / POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

The Euro 2020 soccer championship finally got underway on Friday after a year-long delay with a colorful fireworks show and choreography featuring balloons representing the 24 teams in Rome's sparsely populated Stadio Olimpico.

Only some 16,000 fans were admitted for the opening match between Italy and Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome

Only some 16,000 fans were admitted for the opening match between Italy and Turkey, around 25 percent of capacity, after authorities kept a firm cap on attendance at the tournament due to COVID-19 concerns.

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Trying to pump up excitement, which has been largely missing in Rome in the run up to the kick-off, Italian soccer greats and 2006 World Cup winners Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta welcomed fans at the opening ceremony.

Tenor Andrea Bocelli sang Nessun Dorma, U2 band stars Bono and The Edge performed with DJ Martin Garrix via a video link, while fireworks flared from the roof of the stadium and the pitch, leaving a trail of colored smoke through the arena.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performs during the opening ceremony held before the start of the Euro 2020 soccer championship group A match between Italy and Turkey at the Olympic stadium in Rome, Italy, on June 11, 2021. (ANDREW MEDICHINI / POOL / AP)

Although few in number, supporters cheered their return to the stands after a year when most games were played before empty terraces to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"We bought the tickets more than two years ago, and finally we are here", said Mattia Valentini, 27, holding an Italian flag with his cousin Edoardo Valentini, 23, outside the stadium.

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Fireworks illuminate the sky at the Olympic stadium during the opening ceremony held before the start of the Euro 2020 soccer championship group A match between Italy and Turkey, in Rome, Italy, on June 11, 2021. (RICCARDO DE LUCA / AP)

Fellow Italy fan Vito, 34, came from the southern region of Puglia with six friends. The match is part of his bachelor party and they all donned an Azzurri shirt saying "Vito is getting married".

Groups of noisy Turkish fans decked out in red and white also reached Rome, brushing aside coronavirus fears.

A general view of the spectators inside the Olympic stadium before the Euro 2020 soccer championship group A match between Turkey and Italy in Rome, Italy, on June 11, 2021. (ANDREW MEDICHINI / AP)

"The situation in the world is getting better, we are really happy and we are looking forward to a match with people and not in an empty stadium," said Turkey supporter Harun Kalkat.

To accommodate supporters outside the stadium, organizers have set up a soccer village at the central Piazza del Popolo, which can hold a maximum of 1,680 fans.