Coppa Italia 2026, Lazio-Inter Final: NFC Ticket Mandatory on Smartphones Debuts at the Olimpico

To attend the Final of the Frecciarossa Coppa Italia 2026 between Lazio and Inter, scheduled for tonight, May 13, at 21:00 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, it will be necessary to exclusively use a digital NFC ticket saved on your smartphone. This is the first large-scale application in Italy of this technology for access to a major sporting event.

The innovation introduces a radical change in the ways of entering the stadium: paper tickets, PDF files, or QR Codes shown on the phone's display will not be accepted. The only valid ticket will be the NFC ticket loaded within Apple Wallet or Google Wallet before reaching the turnstiles.

Organizers encourage fans to complete the ticket saving procedure in advance and to verify that the ticket is correctly visible in the device's wallet. Otherwise, there is a risk of slowing down access operations or being unable to pass through the checks at the gates.

Operationally, this system works similarly to that used for contactless payments and digital cards. Once at the turnstile, it will be sufficient to open the smartphone wallet, select the NFC ticket and hold the device close to the compatible reader. The green light will confirm the validity of the ticket and allow passage. It is also mandatory to carry a valid ID, which may be requested during checks.

This initiative stems from a collaboration between Lega Serie A and Vivaticket, the official ticketing partner for the final, with the involvement of Apple and Google for the integration of tickets into their respective wallet ecosystems. The stated goal is to simplify and speed up the flow of public access, eliminating the need for optical scans and physical media.

According to Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Lega Serie A, the introduction of the NFC system represents "a concrete step" in the process of innovation and digitalization of Italian football. This choice is also linked to the "Road to Zero" project, an initiative related to the sustainability of the event and the gradual reduction of physical materials used in organizing matches.

The debut of this solution could represent an important testing ground for the future of Italian stadiums. If the experiment proves effective in managing flows and reducing access times, the NFC ticket-based model could gradually extend to other sporting competitions and major live events.