FootballAPIs

Best football API for a stats dashboard

A stats dashboard turns match data into charts and tables — shot maps, player comparisons, team form.

The richer the data, the better the dashboard: match events (every pass, shot or goal), player stats, xG (expected goals — how good each chance was) and past seasons to compare against.

What you need

  • Match events — what happened in each match, event by event (listed by 10 of 17 providers)
  • Player stats — per-player numbers to compare (listed by 10 of 17 providers)
  • xG — expected goals — how good each chance was (listed by 2 of 17 providers)
  • Historical depth — past seasons for trends and comparisons (listed by 7 of 17 providers)
  • Lineups — who played, for minutes-based stats (listed by 9 of 17 providers)

Not every app needs every item. Start with the first two or three.

Good places to start

How we chose: each pick must have a self-serve way to start (free plan, trial with stated limits, or a public price); and match events or player stats listed. Facts below are quoted from the provider's public pages, checked 2026-10-19.

  • StatsBomb Open Data (Hudl)

    Free plan: Yes · From: Free only (no paid plans)

    • Start: Free plan "Open data" — free (attribution required): selected competitions/seasons only; research & genuine-interest use.
    • No paid plans — free only.
    • Lists: match events (full event data), player stats, historical depth, lineups.
    • Confirmed leagues: Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, MLS, Champions League.
    • Coverage: 24 competitions / 80 competition-seasons (competitions.json, fetched 2026-10-19).

    Watch out

    • Player stats: derivable from events.
    • Historical depth: selected historical seasons.
    • Not confirmed on public pages: xG.
    • Selected seasons only, not current full seasons.
    • Attribution required: free (attribution required).

    Starter prompt for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Lovable

  • Sportmonks

    Free plan: Yes · From: €29/mo

    • Start: Free plan "Free" — €0: free tier, no card (limits not stated on pricing page); paid plans also have a 14-day free trial, no card.
    • Paid plans from €29/mo.
    • Lists: match events, player stats, xG, historical depth (historical data included (depth not stated)), lineups.
    • Confirmed leagues: Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1.
    • Coverage: 2,200+ (pricing page also says 2,300+ on Enterprise).

    Watch out

    • xG: add-on (xG, xGOT, xPTS, npxG).
    • Top-5 have dedicated coverage pages; others pick-your-leagues, not individually verified.

    Starter prompt for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Lovable

  • football-data.org

    Free plan: Yes · From: €12/mo

    • Start: Free plan "Free" — €0/mo: 12 competitions; scores delayed; 10 calls/min.
    • Relevant plan: Statistic Add-On — €15/mo (corners, fouls, possession, shots, saves etc. (needs a regular plan)).
    • Paid plans from €12/mo.
    • Lists: match events, player stats, historical depth (10 seasons on ML Pack Light), lineups.
    • Confirmed leagues: Premier League, Championship, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Primeira Liga, MLS, Champions League.
    • Coverage: ~100 competitions in full list; 12 on free tier.

    Watch out

    • Match events: goals/cards/subs on paid tiers.
    • Player stats: limited (scorers, squads).
    • Lineups: paid tiers.
    • Not confirmed on public pages: xG.
    • Free tier includes PL, Championship, Primeira Liga, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, CL; MLS on paid tiers.

    Starter prompt for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Lovable

Recommendations are based only on public data we've checked; nobody pays for placement. Always check the provider's terms (especially for commercial use and betting).

Budget option and if you grow

  • Budget option: Cheapest paid plan among these picks: football-data.org, from €12/mo (face value; € and $ aren't converted).
  • If you grow: Sportmonks's clear public monthly prices run from Starter at €29/mo (€24/mo yearly) (any 5 leagues; 2,000 calls/entity/hour) to Pro at €249/mo (€199/mo yearly) (any 120 leagues; 3,000 calls/entity/hour).
  • If you grow: football-data.org's clear public monthly prices run from Free w/ Livescores at €12/mo (12 competitions; live scores; 20 calls/min) to Pro at €199/mo (100 competitions; deep data; 120 calls/min).

Other providers that also match

These pass the same rules from our data. They're not ranked.

Next steps

  1. Open a pick's page and copy its Build with AI starter prompt.
  2. Sign up on the provider's site and get an API key — here's what that means.
  3. Paste the prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Lovable, and put your key in the tool's secrets or environment variables — never in the chat.

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