- Tracking Fans Throughout Eight Stadiums
- Preventing Counterfeit Goods at Entrances
- UHF RFID at Exits with Booster Technology
World Cup enthusiasts were able to access this year’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 using RFID-enabled paper tickets built to thwart counterfeiters. HID Global provided the HF RFID tickets, handheld scanners to read those tickets, and a separate UHF RFID reader gate and booster technology for traffic management at exits. The company also provided the access control system for both.
HID has provided the HF ticket to the past three FIFA World Cups (2014, 2018 and 2022), according to Cesare Paciello, the company’s VP of events and mobility solutions. However, he says, the integrated access-control platform that read credentials carried by fans entering and leaving the stadiums was newly added for the latest event. HID also provided customized features, such as RFID-enabled kiosks inside stadiums for press seat assignments. While the HF RFID tickets helped to prevent counterfeiting, the UHF-based exit points provided a view into the flow of traffic back out of the arena.
HID’s antenna boosters extended the read range of the wide and sometimes crowded portals through which fans traveled while leaving the stadiums. For the entire event, HID provided 2.7 million paper tickets for World Cup attendees, compared to the one million it had provided for the 2021 FIFA Arab cup, which served as a World Cup prelude last year.
Tracking Fans Throughout Eight Stadiums
FIFA’s World Cup Qatar 2022 took place from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, to avoid the extreme heat of that nation’s summer. There were 32 participating teams playing in eight newly constructed stadiums, with capacities between 44,000 and 89,000 spectators. Attendees purchased tickets for individual matches, with each match requiring a separate ticket. Prices for the matches ranged from $11 to $1,600, depending on the category of ticket and the match being played, with finals being the most expensive.
As with previous World Cups, FIFA chose to use RFID-based tickets, each storing a unique ID number that could be accessed only via an RFID reader. The goal was to prevent individuals from printing fakes, which could be possible with a barcode ticket if an individual printed a second copy of a barcode. RFID also offers a speed advantage, the company notes. Because RFID readers do not require a direct line of sight like traditional barcode scanners, Paciello says, ticket validation is frictionless, increasing the speed at which tickets can be identified at the gate.
For the solution, HID provided several thousand handheld HF RFID readers, which transmit at 13.56 MHz and comply with ISO 15693. Personnel at the eight stadiums in five cities then identify all individuals entering the stadiums, whether they carry an RFID ticket, accreditation or a digital fan ID known as a Hayya card. HID’s Event Management Platform (EMP) provided real-time data and reporting via dashboards, allowing security officials and organizers to remotely monitor and manage details such as the number of attendees at each entry and exit point, while enabling media credentialing and crowd control.
Preventing Counterfeit Goods at Entrances
Each FIFA World Cup stadium was protected by two levels of access control. Fans arrived onsite and had to pass through an outer perimeter gate, where their bags were scanned and they presented credentials. The paper tickets were made with three layers, Paciello says: a bank-quality, secure paper layer printed with World Cup details, as well as a layer of thermal paper and an RFID inlay between those layers.
Cesare Paciello
Officials read each ticket’s tag, then its unique ID was forwarded to HID software hosted on a local server. Once a person’s ID was authenticated, approval was automatically displayed on the handheld reader so that the ticket holder could be permitted inside. The software stored data indicating that the specific ticket, linked to the individual’s identity, had been used and that the passholder had entered.
Once onsite, visitors were free to move around the stadium. They also carried a Hayya card, which permitted entry into Qatar and granted them free access to metro and bus transportation. The card came with a built-in UHF RFID inlay. In addition, HID supplied printer cabinets from which the paper tickets could be printed and dispensed.
Inside the stadiums, HID provided RFID reading kiosks for members of the media, who carried an HF RFID accreditation specific to the press. Once inside the stadium’s media center, they proceeded to a kiosk and held their accreditation near the terminal. Its built-in reader captured the tag ID, confirmed the journalist’s identity and validated an assigned seat stored in FIFA’s software. A printer in the kiosk then printed the seat assignment receipt, which the reporter could use to find the assigned seat.
UHF RFID at Exits with Booster Technology
Event organizers tracked when individuals left the stadium, enabling them to obtain a full view of people entering and leaving the facility. This allowed them to better manage traffic flow. Rather than requiring visitors to queue up to exit the stadium, HID deployed a UHF RFID system that provided a longer read range than the HF RFID tickets, so that tags could be read without individuals stopping at a gate. Attendees simply carried their Hayya card with an embedded UHF RFID tag from a third-party vendor.
Because of the wide portal through which fans passed, as well as the volume of individuals moving as matches ended, the system required a long range beyond that of a standard passive UHF RFID system. Therefore, HID provided UHF RFID fixed readers with companion booster devices designed for challenging use cases, which extended the antennas’ range. The readers were integrated with the EMP technology for real-time events tracking, and to monitor system health.
“This all happens automatically to maintain a seamless flow in[to] and out of the gates,” Paciello explains, “and to ensure optimum user experience for the fans.” HID reports that the HF RFID tickets, with tags interrogated by an authorized reader, ensure security against counterfeiting, and the company has anecdotal evidence from earlier events to support that claim. For instance, he says, in 2018, the system identified thousands of fake tickets in Brazil, which prevented those fraudulent ticketholders from entering events.
The ticketing experience at the World Cup could prove to be among the most challenging applications at public events, Paciello says, due to the sheer volume of ticketholders and the frequency of matches. “It’s very challenging,” he states, “because you can have four matches in a day.” If the technology had not worked effectively, it could have caused delays in the critical movement of audience members. Because HID could link each ticket ID with a specific person in its own software, that provided security for local authorities in case they had to track the movements of an individual posing a safety risk.
Key Takeaways:
- Entrance tickets, credentials and Hayya cards come with HF or UHF RFID to automate access, seating and exiting of fans, personnel or members of the media.
- The solution is designed to prevent counterfeits, as well as provide event organizers with intelligence regarding traffic flow through the stadium for each match.