WEMBLEY, England - Almost two years late and way over budget, the new Wembley stadium is finally open. And it was well worth the wait.

An aerial view of the new Wembley Stadium in north west London, Sunday March 11, 2007. The new Wembley is way over budget and opened almost two years late. While the cost sounds like a waste of money, the final product was worth the wait. The first competitive match will be played at the new Wembley on Saturday March 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Lewis Whyld)

The gleaming gray and silver stadium can be seen from miles away. The famous old Wembley Twin Towers are gone, replaced by a giant, tilting arch which holds up the roof. Inside, steeply banked red seats create a bowl appearance and intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams.

It took more than six years to knock down the old stadium and rebuild it at a cost of $1.57 billion, which makes it easily the most expensive stadium built. The new Wembley, with a capacity of 90,000, should have opened in mid-2005 but got bogged down in delays and cost overruns.

England's under-21 team will play Italy in the first game at the new venue Saturday.

Provided there are no organizational and safety problems, the Football Association will then give the go-ahead for the FA Cup final to be played at Wembley on May 19.

The stadium will only be two-thirds full for Saturday's game, with 60,000 tickets sold. But that will give a good indication of the noise level created when 90,000 fans are inside.

The old stadium was knocked down in 2001. In the last game at Wembley on Oct. 7, 2000, England lost to Germany 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier, a defeat that prompted coach Kevin Keegan to quit.

The old Wembley, which was built in 1923 and used for the 1948 Olympics, had a running track around the playing surface, meaning spectators were a long way from the field. The fans behind the goals were at least 40 yards away.

The new stadium puts fans right up close to the action. The tiers of seats are covered by a roof which is more than twice the height of the old one.

That makes new Wembley more enclosed, and the noise level more amplified.

"The stadium is magnificent," said Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, who took part in an England training session at Wembley on Wednesday. "We were all excited going down there and the boys are looking forward now to playing there for real. We do play in big grounds across the world, but this is Wembley and it's special.

"All the players grew up watching special games there and think it will be great to be part of matches in the new stadium."

The FA Cup final, which could involve Chelsea and Manchester United, will be a sellout. England hopes to organize a friendly with Brazil at the end of May, which should also attract a crowd of up to 90,000. England and Germany are scheduled to play a friendly at Wembley in August.

By the time those games are staged, it's hoped the playing surface will match the standard of the old Wembley.

The lush turf of old Wembley was regarded as one of the best in the world. Now, head groundskeeper Steve Welch has the job of getting the new surface just right.

There were alarming signs of wear and tear when the England players trained on it Wednesday before flying to Tel Aviv for a Euro 2008 qualifying game against Israel. Players and coaches ripped up the turf even in a gentle kickabout.

Welch said the construction delays had prevented officials from bringing in lighting rigs to enhance the growth of the grass.

"At the moment, we have a pitch which was down in June of last year, but has been living in total shade," he said.

Welch is confident the field will be in perfect condition by the time of the FA Cup final.

"Once we have the lighting rigs in place, the strength of the grass in both the leaf and root structure will improve," he said. "We will achieve that hallowed turf name that's always been synonymous with Wembley."