Euro 2012 Opening Ceremony: Gallery of the Best Images from Tournament Launch

The biggest event to hit the European continent in regard to football is this summer's 2012 UEFA European Championship.

Poland and the Ukraine rolled out the red carpet for themselves and the 14 other finalist nations in the past week, but the opening ceremony for Euro 2012 got it off with a bang.

The Polish national team likewise got the night off to a great start, as Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for the host nation and the tournament only 17 minutes into the night that would see two great matches played out in Group A.

As the new Champions of Europe are waiting to emerge from the ashes of one hell of a great month of football, we take a look back at a great opening week, ceremony and match day.

Welcome to Kiev

A massive sign stands within Kiev, Ukraine welcoming all the nations and fans that will be making the trek to the Ukrainian capital.

Germany Visit Auschwtiz

German national team coach Joachim Löw looks at the memorial wall as his team were one of many that stopped to pay their respects at World War II landmark Auschwitz death camp.

Italy Arrive

The Italian national team jets in to the European Championship in Air Italia style.

England Give Thanks

The England team during a training session ahead of UEFA Euro 2012 on June 8, 2012 in Krakow, Poland.

Podolski Signs Auschwitz Guest Log

Polish born, but German National team player Lukas Podolski signs the visitors log at Auschwitz.

Spain Check in

2008 European champions Spain stand for a photograph shortly after arriving at the Euros as they ready themselves for a tough title defense that begins with a Group C opening match against Italy on Sunday June 10, 2012.

England on Tour

Scott Parker, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones during a visit by an England Football Association delegation to the Schindler factory.

Czech Republic Get Busy

Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky leads his team through training in anticipation of their opening match against Russia.

Germany Training

Head coach Joachim Low (C) speaks to the team during a German training session ahead of UEFA Euro 2012 at Arena Lviv on June 8, 2012 in L'viv, Ukraine

Greek Training

The Greek national team takes a last moment to prepare before facing host nation Poland in the opening match of the tournament.

Netherlands Getting Prepared

Rafael van der Vaart and KIaas-Jan Huntelaar in Netherlands training.

Russian Jokester

Arsenal winger and Russian national team captain Andrei Arshavin shares a laugh on the eve of his nation's opening match against the Czech Republic.

Ronaldo Scratches His Head

Portuguese national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to the press after their last training session before facing Germany on Saturday.

Poland Jumping with Excitement

Poland take a jump together in their last practice session before the opening ceremony and start of the tournament.

Time to Make a Difference

New England manager Roy Hodgson and new team captain Steven Gerrard have a lot of questions to answer, and soon.

Opening Ceremony

A general view during the opening ceremony ahead of the Group A match between Poland and Greece at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.

Dancers

An up-close view of the UEFA European Championship opening ceremony as the dancers perform in honor the event.

Dancing UEFA

The opening ceremony dancers configure themselves to form the UEFA Euro 2012 logo during the opening ceremony.

Dancers Wide View

Dancers cover the pitch during the opening ceremony in Warsaw.

Adam Gyorgy Music Note

Hungarian classical pianist Adam Gyorgy performs during the opening ceremony while dancers configure themselves into a treble clef note.

Dancers from the Floor

Floor view of the opening ceremony dancers' performance in Warsaw.

Thumbs Up from Mascots Slavek and Slavko

UEFA Euro 2012 mascots Slavek and Slavko notice they are being pictured on the stadium television.

Dancers Dancing

A close-up of one of the multiple groups of dancers at the opening ceremony.

Keep Those Feet Moving

Another floor view of the opening ceremony dancers in Warsaw.

Slavek and Slavko Again

Mascots Slavek and Slavko enjoy the attention in front of a packed house in Warsaw for the opening match.

A Sea of Color

A multitude of dancers covers the pitch during the opening ceremony.

Slavek and Slavko in Your Face

Mascots Slavek and Slavko continue to hog the camera and the attention of the opening match.

Greeks Marching in

Flag wavers get the crowd ready for their national team's arrival.

Greek Fans

The Greek's traveling army get ready for the opening kickoff.

Greece or Poland

This fan hasn't yet decided who she is there to support as one side is all Grecian and the other all Polish.

Polish Fans

Polish fans smile and wave in anticipation of the opening of the tournament.

National Anthems

The Poland and Greek squads stand during the national anthems prior to kickoff.

Greek Squad

The Greeks pose for their pre-match picture as the 2004 European Champions get set for what is hopefully another great tournament.

Poland Squad

Poland gets ready to take to the pitch with huge expectations in front of their home crowd.

Lewandowski Scores

Poland could not have asked for a better opening 20 minutes as Borussia Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski scored the first goal of the tournament for the host nation at the 17th-minute mark against Greece.

The match would later end in a dramatic draw, but Lewandowski saw the hosts kick off the tournament in style.