Fans of the New York Mets baseball team in the US will soon be able to gain entry to the team’s Citi Field stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York City, by verifying their identity with their face and without needing to show a paper ticket or their smartphone.

Staff and vendors will also be able to access restricted areas such as the clubhouse and front offices using facial authentication alone.

The Mets began piloting contactless facial ticketing in August, enabling fans to register their biometric data in their ticket account and then walk into the stadium using a dedicated facial ticketing lane for the games for which they have purchased tickets or passes.

The team now plans to increase the number of these lanes so that entry by facial verification will be available at all the stadium’s main entry gates, as well as at entrances to premier seating areas.

“Known to fans as the Mets Entry Express program, facial ticketing at Citi Field is a 100% voluntary opt-in program for faster touchless entry into the ballpark via dedicated lanes, with easy online enrolment available to anyone attending a Mets home game,” says biometric technology provider Wicket.

“Mets fans who opt into the program will realise the benefits of shorter lines, beginning with ticketing as they enter Citi Field.”

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