The partnership between Corego and Helsinki Cup has now continued for ten years. Since it began in 2016, the partnership has evolved from paper-based credentials to modern event technology powered by artificial intelligence. This year, Helsinki Cup welcomed as many as 30,000 players and a record-breaking 1,730 teams from 19 countries. Successfully managing an event of this scale requires event technology that is seamless, reliable, and robust.
For the past decade, we have had the privilege of being part of Helsinki Cup, one of the world’s largest junior football tournaments. Helsinki Cup is a global major event that attracts players and families from around the world. With a long and distinguished history, the tournament was held for the 51st time this year. It offers not only a great deal of football, but also fun, friendship, and international encounters, making it a truly unique experience for children and young people.
At Corego, our goal is to be a long-term growth partner, delivering seamless event technology while helping to enhance the tournament experience year after year together with the Helsinki Cup organization. We are committed to ensuring the tournament runs smoothly and that every new solution we introduce makes life easier for players throughout their tournament experience.
Lotta Peitsi, CEO of Helsinki Cup, sees the long-standing partnership as a significant strength:
“Corego is a reliable, long-term partner for us, and working together has always been effortless. We also value their continuous development work and their commitment to advancing solutions based on the needs of our event. The devices are easy to use, and customer support works well even when unexpected situations arise during the event. In addition, Corego has an excellent way of engaging and supporting our young summer employees, which is essential for the success of an event of this scale.”
Lotta Peitsi, CEO, Helsinki Cup
The collaboration between Corego and Helsinki Cup began in 2016, and the journey has included extensive device testing and numerous innovations. During the first years, RFID wristbands made from flexible fabric were used as tournament credentials. The fabric material was carefully selected to ensure that children could easily remove the wristbands themselves, for example during matches. These wristbands served tournament participants until 2023.
That same year, Corego’s access control gates were introduced for meal services held at the Olympic Stadium, streamlining entry management for participants.
A major digital leap was taken in 2024 when the tournament transitioned to smart tournament passes. Designed to enhance the experience of every young football player, these passes serve both as official tournament credentials and as convenient payment methods. They also include various benefits that can be redeemed throughout Helsinki.
The tournament pass grants access to the Pepsi Max Summer Festival and the A Finals held on Friday and Saturday. For international teams, the passes also include integrated digital meal vouchers, allowing meals to be redeemed smoothly during the tournament. These meal vouchers are scanned using Corego’s mobile readers.
Guardians can remotely load spending money onto the passes, enabling children to make purchases at Helsinki Cup kiosks without worrying about carrying cash or potentially losing a phone.
“The transition to the tournament pass has been particularly successful from a practical perspective. The visible pass worn around the neck makes tournament participants easy to identify while also simplifying the verification of access rights. In addition, accommodation-related bus passes were conveniently integrated into the tournament pass, meaning everything participants needed could be carried in one place.”
Lotta Peitsi, CEO, Helsinki Cup
Seamless Payments During and Between Matches
Alongside the smart tournament passes, Corego’s mobile readers and POS payment terminals have been in use since the beginning of the partnership. Throughout the tournament, multiple payment terminals are used at Helsinki Cup’s kiosks.
When thousands of hungry players and parents head to kiosks between matches, the importance of fast and reliable payment processing becomes clear. Smooth payment experiences help keep queues short and service efficient, even during the busiest periods.
Helsinki Cup also provides many young people with an opportunity for their first summer job, for example at the tournament’s sales points. When a young employee uses a payment terminal for the first time, ease of use is crucial. User-friendly payment devices make it easier to start work confidently and help staff provide fast customer service from day one.
Corego and Helsinki Cup are committed to staying at the forefront of technology. Last year (2025), the tournament successfully piloted Corego’s latest visitor counting cameras in the event village area.
The cameras were installed at three different entrances to monitor visitor flows. The system is completely anonymous and privacy-friendly, storing no images or personal data. Instead, artificial intelligence analyzes movement patterns only, providing organizers with real-time insights into visitor numbers, peak congestion times, and the effectiveness of traffic flows throughout the venue.
By implementing visitor counting cameras, the organization gained valuable data for optimizing both sales points and the event area.
“The visitor counting cameras were an excellent addition, and the data they provided was highly valuable to us. We gained more detailed insights into which gates visitors used to enter the area, how many people visited the event village, and how long they stayed.
This information gave us a much clearer understanding of visitor flows and behavior throughout the event.”
Lotta Peitsi commented.
Over the past ten years, Corego has become much more than a device supplier for Helsinki Cup. The relationship has developed into a strategic partnership where both organizations evolve together as the tournament continues to grow.
When the underlying technology works seamlessly and collected data supports better decision-making, the tournament organization can focus on what matters most: creating unforgettable experiences for young football talents. We hope this successful and innovative partnership will continue to thrive for many years to come.
“We see our collaboration with Corego remaining strong and long-term in the future. We have become accustomed to developing operations together and having open discussions about how we can improve even further. We believe the best development opportunities are discovered through dialogue, exploring what new solutions and services we could bring to Helsinki Cup in the years ahead.”
Lotta Peitsi, CEO, Helsinki Cup