Euro 2020 kicks off in Rome on 11 June

Italy to host four Euro 2020 matches in Rome.

Euro 2020 is finally here, a year late due to covid-19, with Rome among the 11 host cities staging the 51 fixtures of the long-awaited European football championship.

The rescheduled tournament kicks off in Rome's Stadio Olimpico, when Italy faces Turkey on Friday 11 June at 21.00.

In line with coronavirus protocols, the stadium will host 25 per cent of its capacity.

Rome will also hold two other Group A matches - with Italy facing Switzerland (at 21.00 on Wednesday 16 June) and Wales (at 18.00 on Sunday 20 June) - plus a quarter-final match at 21.00 on Saturday 3 July.

Who are the players in Italy's Euro 2020 squad?

The 26-man squad chosen by manager Roberto Mancini for the Euro 2020 tournament are as follows:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Salvatore Sirigu

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Emerson, Alessandro Florenzi, Leonardo Spinazzola, Rafael Tolói.

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella, Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Stefano Sensi, Marco Verratti.

Forwards: Andrea Belotti, Domenico Berardi, Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Giacomo Raspadori.

Where to watch the Euro 2020 matches in Rome

Rome has set up a Football Village in Piazza del Popolo where fans can cheer on Italy in its quest to win the Euros for a second time after lifting the trophy on home soil in 1968.

Rome's Football Village will open to the public on 11 June at 10.00 and will remain open until 23.00 each evening until 11 July.

Rome's Football Village in Piazza del Popolo. *Photo RomaToday.*

In addition to giant television screens, the village will host football pitches where visitors can compete for free, as well as a stage for djs and musicians.

To comply with Italy's covid-19 regulations, a maximum of 1,680 visitors will be permitted to enter the Football Village.

Piazza del Campidoglio, seat of Rome's city hall, will host two special events on the evenings of Friday 11 and Saturday 12 June, at 21.45 and 22.45.

Fans can admire a videomapping, light and sound show with live musical performances tracing the history of Italy in the Euros from 1968 to 2021.

On Via dei Fori Imperiali, opposite the Roman Forum, a maximum of 1,000 people will be permitted to watch the Stadio Olimpico's four games on giant screens on 11, 16, 20 June and 3 July.

What are the Euro 2020 groups?

The 24 participating countries are divided into six Euro 2020 groups of four teams:

Group A: Turkey, Italy, Wales, Switzerland

Group B: Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia

Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia

Group D: England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic

Group E: Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia

Group F: Hungary, Portugal, France, Germany

Euro rules

With 24 teams competing for 16 knockout places in games taking place all over Europe, the group winners, runners-up and the best four third-placed teams will qualify.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the next round, the Round of 16. The four best third-placed finishers will also head into Round of 16.

After this, Euro 2020 will have the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final.

If two group opponents teams are level on points, positions will be determined firstly by goal difference, and then by the head-to-head record between the teams.

For full details including fixtures see the UEFA Euro 2020 website. Cover photo: Dmytro Larin / Shutterstock.com.