Practical info for the Pinball Union Open 2026 (FINCS) tournament

Schedule

Wed 22 Jul. Doors 17–22
Terve vaan ja onnea starts at 17:30 (warm-up)

Thu 23 Jul. Doors 14–21
Pinball Union Open 2026 (FINCS) qualifying (main tournament)
Tahroja Paperilla qualifying (side tournament)

Fri 24 Jul. Doors 13–22
Pinball Union Open 2026 (FINCS) qualifying (main tournament)
Tahroja Paperilla qualifying (side tournament)

Sat 25 Jul. Doors 10–22
Pinball Union Open 2026 (FINCS) qualifying (main tournament)
Tahroja Paperilla qualifying until 16:00 (side tournament)
Tahroja Paperilla final starts at 17:00 (side tournament)

Sun 26 Jul. Doors 08:30–19:00
Pinball Union Open 2026 (FINCS) finals start at 09:00 (main tournament)
Kaikki Häipyy, on vain nyt starts at 10:30 or after the first PU Open finals round (side tournament)

Registration and payment

1. Wednesday and Sunday side tournament players: arrive in good time so your entry is paid before the tournament starts. Thu–Sat you can come whenever suits you during opening hours.
2. When you pay, you'll be activated in the Matchplay app for the tournaments you paid for. Check your activations before you leave the counter.
3. After paying you can also get a tournament wristband if you like, which gives you access to our partners' deals during the tournament
4. At the counter we accept cash and card, and for admission also employee sports/culture benefits
5. Besides admission, you can also buy drinks and snacks at the counter
6. On Wednesday you can also pay for your Thu–Sat entry at the same time.

Playing in PU Open 26 qualifying

1. You can start your qualifying attempts Thu–Sat right after registering.
2. Before starting each game, you must add yourself to the queue for that machine in Matchplay (or have the scorekeeper do it). We strongly recommend creating a Matchplay account – https://matchplay.events/
3. When your game ends, raise your hand. Tell us your name and the scorekeeper will record the score (no need to read the score out to them)
4. Only players currently up and those up next may enter the play area during qualifying / only finals players during the finals
5. Please wait in the lounge while queuing; if you're up next, you can wait closer to the machine
6. Please start your game without delay when your turn comes up in the queue, and the same goes for the finals. If a player doesn't show up within a reasonable time, the referee will remove them from the queue during qualifying.
7. You can play qualifying on one day or on all three (Thu–Sat). It's your responsibility to show up in time to play all your attempts within qualifying hours (over 20 hours!!!)
8. If needed, a tiebreaker machine is played on Saturday after qualifying ends if the players are present, otherwise on Sunday at 09:00 before the finals. The tiebreaker machine is drawn from the backup machines.
9. Stern Insider is allowed.
10. Each player has 32 attempts. The best 26 count, but no more than 2 scores per machine. In practice that means 6 ”extra” attempts, which you can use on machines you've already played or on ones you haven't played yet.

Playing in Tahroja Paperilla qualifying (card tournament)

1. You can start your qualifying attempts Thu–Sat right after registering, just like for PU Open 2026, see above.
2. Each player gets 5 attempts, one on each of five different machines of their choice from a list of twelve. These five scores make up your card, which determines your qualifying position.
3. If you like, you can buy a new five-machine attempt at the end of a round, until you're happy with your scores or qualifying closes on Saturday at 16:00 (the final starts at 17:00).

Machine locations

Approximate floor plan of where the tournament machines and free-play machines are. If needed, a backup machine is picked from the machines not in use.
Sunday's side tournament uses the free-play machines and the card tournament machines.

Machine settings and other notes

1. Machines mostly run standard tournament settings, i.e. no extra balls and tournament mode on.
2. Any other settings / changes are noted on the machines' aprons.
3. Note (as everyone knows) Cyclone's jackpot, which grows the more the game is played and drops back down when someone collects it. The jackpot will be low when qualifying and the finals start. 🙂

Finals details

PU Open 26 finals:

• Top 32 make the finals (if there are fewer than 64 players, 24 advance and the top 8 get a bye)
• Each finals round is 3 machines played in groups of four. The top 2 advance. If needed, a tiebreaker machine is drawn from the available machines, and it can't be one that group has already played that round.
• In the first finals round, the top 8 players pick a machine bank, starting with the highest qualifier. Groups follow Matchplay (group 1: 1-16-17-32, etc.). Each player also picks their own spot in the play order, starting with the highest qualifier. Same order on all machines.
• From the second finals round on, each player picks either a machine or their spot in the play order, starting with the highest qualifier. One pick at a time; once everyone has made their first pick, start again from the highest qualifier until all spots and machines have been picked. Same order on all machines.
• When picking a machine, a player can't pick the same machine again during the finals.

Machine banks for the finals. The last row, in italics, is the backup machines in case one of the first three breaks down during the tournament and is removed from play.

BANK1	BANK2	BANK3	BANK4	BANK5	BANK6	BANK7	BANK8
AC/DC	Attack From Mars	Black Jack	Black Knight Sword of Rage pro	Bram Stokers Dracula	Cyclone	Gorgar	Fish Tales
Foo Fighters LE	Frontier	Iron Man (Vault)	Junk Yard	King Kong Prem	Led Zeppelin prem	Mustang Pro	Barracora
Bram Stokers Dracula	Cyclone	Gorgar	Fish Tales	AC/DC	Attack From Mars	Black Jack	Black Knight Sword of Rage pro
Junk Yard	Iron Man (Vault)	Frontier	Foo Fighters LE	Barracora	Mustang Pro	Led Zeppelin prem	King Kong Prem

Finals on paper:

• Amazing Race format, top 12 advance to the finals.
• The top 11 pick machines one at a time, starting from 11th place. Machines are picked from the same pool as in qualifying.
• Cash prizes for the top finishers. Tax practices: https://frisbeegolfliitto.fi/palkinnot-ja-verotus-2/ and you can also decline a cash prize, in which case it won't be awarded. The pot and its split will be announced when the finals start (€5 from every card purchased goes into the prize pot; prizes are rounded to the nearest €5).

Food and venue facilities

1. The tournament stream runs in the lounge on finals day
2. A microwave is available for heating up your own food
3. There's also a small cooler barrel for your snacks (first come, first served).
4. Please note that the barrel is emptied at the end of the day, and the entire indoor area is a licensed area, so you can't bring your own alcoholic drinks.
5. Please keep the restrooms tidy, wash your hands afterwards and report any issues at the counter

Parking

1. Parking on Väinölänkatu in front of the venue is paid on weekdays 8–16 and on Saturdays 8–16. Outside these hours it's free.
2. There are free street parking spots on Väinölänkatu east of Kalevan puistotie, but they're likely to be full.
3. We recommend public transport, or for example a combination: park farther away (e.g. in Hervanta) and take the tram to the center.
4. Local public transport info: nysse.fi
5. Parking in Tampere: kartat.tampere.fi/oskari

Partner perks

1. Särkänniemi Retro Arcade – 20 tokens / €10 (normally 10 tokens/€10, 30 tokens/€20) with a tournament wristband.
2. Schnitzelhaus Tampere in Tammela: -10% on food with a tournament wristband
3. Bonkers/Noob: -10% on food with a tournament wristband

Key links

1. Tournament info on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/60dAC8Yiy
2. Live results: matchplay.live/pu26
3. Stream: twitch.tv/pinballunion
4. Reprocade, when you need a repair tech: reprocade.com
5. Retro Arcade Särkänniemi: retro.sarkanniemiarcade.fi
6. Pinball machines at PU and in Tampere: pinballmap.com
7. FINCS 2026 standings: https://www.ifpapinball.com/rankings/custom_view.php?id=282

The golden rule

1. Have fun at the tournament! Enjoy the great community, meet new people and say hi to old friends. Appreciate the collectors who lend us their own games. Respect the machines and treat them like your own. Mind your manners and your language so everyone has a good time!