July 18th, 2025
After chaos: how Clube Atlético Mineiro became Brazil’s leading digital football club with facial recognition
After a chaotic game, the Brazilian club decided to rethink security and access control - leading to a highly advanced facial recognition access control system. In partnership with NewC Sport and Fortress, Clube Atlético Mineiro fans now smoothly enter Arena MRV with biometric face scans every week.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil – 2024 – Disorganization. Confused fans. Unauthorized entries. That was the reality for Clube Atlético Mineiro in November 2024 at the Copa do Brasil final where the team met Flamengo. The home stadium, Arena MRV’s access control system failed, and there was no way for staff to manage the inflow of supporters, leading to numerous unauthorized entries. Following the chaos, the brand-new stadium was shut down, enforcing the team to play football behind closed doors. With the loss of matchday revenue, fan support and presence, Arena MRV was left in darkness.
Atlético Mineiro saw an immediate need for a new robust, digital solution. The club, NewC Sport, and Fortress came together to create a 100% facial recognition access controlled stadium, tailored to Arena MRV’s layout with short distances from turnstiles to stands. The goal? To obtain the most secure stadium in the country for home games. Improving fan experience through quick and easy access to games. Eliminating unauthorized entries to the stadium. And a long-term reduction in operating costs.
Together, we have created an outer perimeter pre-scan on the esplanade, making the fan experience smoother even before reaching the turnstiles. Atlético Mineiro has full perimeter control, being the only club to use mobile devices on the esplanade for pre-scanning. The primary change was obtaining a robust and strong software that handled high pressure on game days. With a simple biometric scan of the face, excited fans now effortlessly enter Arena MRV for Atlético Mineiro games. A change that both shortens lines, increases safety, and ensures a smoother experience for fans and the club on game days.
See how facial recognition works at Arena MRV here:
(video credit: Clube Atlético Mineiro)
Not only does Atlético Mineiro make the experience smoother for the average fan – they also managed to ban around 80 offenders with the smooth and robust facial recognition system. The core fanbase of families have returned to Arena MRV, and more than 10,000 new, first-time fans watched the Galos’ recent game. The fan engagement software, delivered as part of the digital solution, now has more than 500,000 faces registered, bringing the club closer to its huge community. The app allows Atlético Mineiro to better understand the fan through data, and thereby target specific fan segments with tailored offers and promotions. The digital solution in Atlético Mineiro thus ties all parts of the matchday experience and makes it effortless and smart.
“NewC Sport has been a trusted partner in our journey to create Arena MRV. Their innovative solutions have played a crucial role in transforming our vision into reality, enabling us to provide an exceptional experience for our fans.”
— Leandro Evangelista, CIO, Clube Atlético Mineiro.
About Clube Atlético Mineiro
Our partnership started in 2024, marking the beginning of Atlético Mineiro’s digital excellence. The club, located in Belo Horizonte the middle of Minas Gerais in Brazil has long been known for its exceptional and modern home stadium, Arena MRV. Atlético Mineiro has not only received international recognition for the scale and beauty of the stadium, but also for the excellence in design, and the increased fan engagement the stadium brought. With a capacity of 46,000 persons, Arena MRV became a central meeting point for fans and people of Belo Horizonte. The stadium’s iconic black and white stripes not only serve as a visual landmark in the state of Minas Gerais – but as a cultural hotspot for sharing passion for beautiful Brazilian football. Furthermore, Atlético Mineiro is constantly delivering top-class sporting performances with 3x Brazilian Champions, 1x Copa Libertadores, and 50x Campeonão Mineiro trophies, just to mention a few.
About NewC Sport
Based in Denmark, NewC Sport extends its reach internationally, achieving remarkable results with clubs across Denmark, the UK, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, and Sweden. The mission is to foster lasting connections between football clubs and their fans, employing a data-driven approach to enhance the commercial capabilities of clubs. Recognizing the unique requirements of each club, NewC Sport’s digital offerings include a customized ticketing system and efficient access control, all designed to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructures. Curious? Contact us on [email protected] to hear more!
