Today UEFA announced it will be using a blockchain-based mobile ticketing system to issue tickets at the EURO 2020 football event. The association has been testing blockchain tickets for more than 18 months. It says 110,000 tickets (more than 80%) were issued using the system for the UEFA Nations League finals in June 2019.
A mobile app with QR codes is at the heart of the solution. It prevents copying by only activating the tickets shortly before the event and when fans are near the stadium. Fans can transfer tickets to guests using the app but the video shows that the recipient’s identity is required.
UEFA also says it contributes to its sustainability goals by reducing the use of paper.
We reached out to UEFA who said the information was confidential, but we believe the supplier is SecuTix. They were involved in the 2018 solution, and they have the deal to provide ticketing software for the UEFA Euro 2020.
When the firm secured the deal, the SecuTix CEO Frédéric Longatte said: “The appointment is proof that our agile technologies can rise to the challenge set by high-demand events across different venues with varying access systems. We will build upon our position as UEFA’s trusted software licence provider to help strengthen their fan relationships and offer fans a fair and transparent ticketing system.”
The SecuTix website describes a similar solution.
The parent company of SecuTix was also behind the development of the TIXnGO platform, which is being used by the UK’s Lancashire County Cricket Club.
More than a year ago, Ticketmaster acquired blockchain smart ticketing app Upgraded, which specialized in sports event tickets.
Last year, Dutch firm GUTS Tickets used blockchain to sell tickets for popular local star Guus Meeuwis’s June 2020 event. More recently, Telecharge said it was securing tickets to Broadway shows using blockchain.
