Football Data

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If

pip install

fails (package not found or Python version error), install from GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git

The package requires Python 3.10+. If your default Python is older, use a specific version:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills football get_daily_schedule
sports-skills football get_season_standings --season_id=premier-league-2025

Python SDK (alternative):

from sports_skills import football

standings = football.get_season_standings(season_id="premier-league-2025")
schedule = football.get_daily_schedule()

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g.,

currentDate: 2026-02-16

→ current year is 2026).

• If the user specifies a season, use it as-is.
• If the user says "current", "latest", or doesn't specify: Call

  get_current_season(competition_id="...")

  to get the active season_id. Do NOT guess or hardcode the year.
• Season format: Always

  {league-slug}-{year}

  (e.g.,

  "premier-league-2025"

  for the 2025-26 season). The year is the start year of the season, not the end year.
• MLS exception: MLS runs spring-fall within a single calendar year. Use

  get_current_season(competition_id="mls")

  — don't assume MLS follows European calendar.
• Never hardcode a season_id. Always derive it via

  get_current_season()

  or from the system date.

Data Coverage by League

Not all data is available for every league. Use the right command for the right league.

Command	All 13 leagues	Top 5 only	PL only
get_season_standings	x
get_daily_schedule	x
get_season_schedule	x
get_season_teams	x
search_team	x
get_team_schedule	x
get_team_profile	x
get_event_summary	x
get_event_lineups	x
get_event_statistics	x
get_event_timeline	x
get_current_season	x
get_competitions	x
get_event_xg		x
get_event_players_statistics (with xG)		x
get_season_leaders			x
get_missing_players			x

Top 5 leagues (Understat): EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1. PL only (FPL): Premier League — injury news, player stats, ownership, ICT index. All leagues: via ESPN — scores, standings, schedules, match summaries, lineups, team stats. Transfermarkt: Works for any player with a

tm_player_id

— market values and transfer history.

Note: MLS uses a different season structure (spring-fall calendar). Use

get_current_season(competition_id="mls")

to detect the right season_id.

ID Conventions

• season_id:

  {league-slug}-{year}

  e.g.

  "premier-league-2025"

  ,

  "la-liga-2025"

• competition_id: league slug e.g.

  "premier-league"

  ,

  "serie-a"

  ,

  "champions-league"

• team_id: ESPN team ID (numeric string) e.g.

  "359"

  (Arsenal),

  "86"

  (Real Madrid)
• event_id: ESPN event ID (numeric string) e.g.

  "740847"

• fpl_id: FPL element ID or code (PL players only)
• tm_player_id: Transfermarkt player ID e.g.

  "433177"

  (Saka),

  "342229"

  (Mbappe)

Commands

get_current_season

Detect current season for a competition. Works for all leagues.

• competition_id

  (str, required): Competition slug

Returns

data.competition

and

data.season

:

{"competition": {"id": "premier-league", "name": "Premier League"}, "season": {"id": "premier-league-2025", "name": "2025-26 English Premier League", "year": "2025"}}

get_competitions

List available competitions with current season info. No params. Works for all leagues.

Returns

data.competitions[]

with

id

,

name

,

code

,

current_season

.

get_competition_seasons

Get available seasons for a competition. Works for all leagues.

• competition_id

  (str, required): Competition slug

get_season_schedule

Get full season match schedule. Works for all leagues.

• season_id

  (str, required): Season slug (e.g., "premier-league-2025")

Returns

data.schedules[]

— same shape as events below.

get_season_standings

Get league table for a season. Works for all leagues.

• season_id

  (str, required): Season slug

Returns

data.standings[].entries[]

:

{
  "position": 1,
  "team": {"id": "359", "name": "Arsenal", "short_name": "Arsenal", "abbreviation": "ARS", "crest": "https://..."},
  "played": 26, "won": 17, "drawn": 6, "lost": 3,
  "goals_for": 50, "goals_against": 18, "goal_difference": 32, "points": 57
}

get_season_leaders

Get top scorers/leaders for a season. Premier League only (via FPL).

• season_id

  (str, required): Season slug (must be

  premier-league-*

  )

Returns

data.leaders[]

— note: player name is nested under

.player.name

:

{
  "player": {"id": "223094", "name": "Erling Haaland", "first_name": "Erling", "last_name": "Haaland", "position": "Forward"},
  "team": {"id": "43", "name": "Man City"},
  "goals": 22, "assists": 6, "penalties": 0, "played_matches": 25
}

Returns empty for non-PL leagues.

get_season_teams

Get teams in a season. Works for all leagues.

• season_id

  (str, required): Season slug

search_team

Search for a team by name across all leagues (or a specific one). Uses fuzzy matching.

• query

  (str, required): Team name to search (e.g., "Corinthians", "Barcelona", "Man Utd")

• competition_id

  (str, optional): Limit search to one league (e.g., "serie-a-brazil", "premier-league")

Returns

data.results[]

with

team

,

competition

, and

season

for each match:

{"team": {"id": "874", "name": "Corinthians"}, "competition": {"id": "serie-a-brazil", "name": "Serie A Brazil"}, "season": {"id": "serie-a-brazil-2025", "year": "2025"}}

get_team_profile

Get basic team info (name, crest, venue). Does not return squad/roster — use

get_season_leaders

to find PL player IDs, then

get_player_profile

for individual player data.

• team_id

  (str, required): ESPN team ID

• league_slug

  (str, optional): League hint (faster resolution)

Returns

data.team

and

data.venue

.

data.players[]

is empty — see "Deep dive on a PL team" example below for the recommended workflow.

get_daily_schedule

Get all matches for a specific date across all leagues.

• date

  (str, optional): Date in YYYY-MM-DD format. Defaults to today.

Returns

data.date

and

data.events[]

:

{
  "id": "748381", "status": "not_started", "start_time": "2026-02-16T20:00Z",
  "competition": {"id": "la-liga", "name": "La Liga"},
  "season": {"id": "la-liga-2025", "year": "2025"},
  "venue": {"name": "Estadi Montilivi", "city": "Girona"},
  "competitors": [
    {"team": {"id": "9812", "name": "Girona", "abbreviation": "GIR"}, "qualifier": "home", "score": 0},
    {"team": {"id": "83", "name": "Barcelona", "abbreviation": "BAR"}, "qualifier": "away", "score": 0}
  ],
  "scores": {"home": 0, "away": 0}
}

Status values:

"not_started"

,

"live"

,

"halftime"

,

"closed"

,

"postponed"

.

get_event_summary

Get match summary with scores. Works for all leagues.

• event_id

  (str, required): Match/event ID

Returns

data.event

(same shape as daily schedule events).

get_event_lineups

Get match lineups. Works for all leagues (when available from ESPN).

• event_id

  (str, required): Match/event ID

Returns

data.lineups[]

:

{
  "team": {"id": "364", "name": "Liverpool", "abbreviation": "LIV"},
  "qualifier": "home",
  "formation": "4-3-3",
  "starting": [{"id": "275599", "name": "Caoimhín Kelleher", "position": "Goalkeeper", "shirt_number": 1}],
  "bench": [{"id": "...", "name": "...", "position": "...", "shirt_number": 62}]
}

get_event_statistics

Get match team statistics. Works for all leagues.

• event_id

  (str, required): Match/event ID

Returns

data.teams[]

:

{
  "team": {"id": "244", "name": "Brentford"},
  "qualifier": "home",
  "statistics": {"ball_possession": "40.8", "shots_total": "10", "shots_on_target": "3", "fouls": "12", "corners": "4"}
}

get_event_timeline

Get match timeline/key events (goals, cards, substitutions). Works for all leagues.

• event_id

  (str, required): Match/event ID

Returns

data.timeline[]

with goal, card, and substitution events.

get_team_schedule

Get schedule for a specific team — includes both past results and upcoming fixtures. Works for all leagues.

• team_id

  (str, required): ESPN team ID

• league_slug

  (str, optional): League hint (faster resolution)

• season_year

  (str, optional): Season year filter

• competition_id

  (str, optional): Filter results to a single competition (e.g., "serie-a-brazil", "premier-league")

get_head_to_head

UNAVAILABLE — requires licensed data. Do not call this command; it will return empty results. Instead, use

get_team_schedule

for both teams and filter overlapping matches manually.

• team_id

  (str, required): First team ID

• team_id_2

  (str, required): Second team ID

get_event_xg

Get expected goals (xG) data from Understat. Top 5 leagues only: EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1. Returns empty for other leagues.

• event_id

  (str, required): Match/event ID

Returns

data.teams[]

and

data.shots[]

:

{"team": {"id": "244", "name": "Brentford"}, "qualifier": "home", "xg": 1.812}

data.shots[]

contains individual shot data with xG per shot. Note: very recent matches (last 24-48h) may not be indexed on Understat yet.

get_event_players_statistics

Get player-level match statistics with xG enrichment. Works for all leagues (basic stats from ESPN). xG/xA enrichment only for top 5 leagues (Understat).

• event_id

  (str, required): Match/event ID

Returns

data.teams[].players[]

:

{
  "id": "...", "name": "Bukayo Saka", "position": "Midfielder", "shirt_number": 7, "starter": true,
  "statistics": {"appearances": "1", "shotsTotal": "3", "shotsOnTarget": "1", "foulsCommitted": "1", "xg": "0.45", "xa": "0.12"}
}

xg

and

xa

fields only present for top 5 leagues.

get_missing_players

Get injured/missing/doubtful players. Premier League only (via FPL). Returns empty for other leagues.

• season_id

  (str, required): Season slug (must be

  premier-league-*

  )

Returns

data.teams[].players[]

:

{
  "id": "463748", "name": "Mikel Merino Zazón", "web_name": "Merino",
  "position": "Midfielder", "status": "injured",
  "news": "Foot injury - Unknown return date",
  "chance_of_playing_this_round": 0, "chance_of_playing_next_round": 0
}

Status values:

"injured"

,

"unavailable"

,

"doubtful"

,

"suspended"

.

get_season_transfers

Get transfer history for specific players via Transfermarkt. Works for any league.

• season_id

  (str, required): Season slug (used to filter transfers by year)

• tm_player_ids

  (list, required): Transfermarkt player IDs

Returns

data.transfers[]

:

{
  "player_tm_id": "433177", "date": "2019-07-01", "season": "19/20",
  "from_team": {"name": "Arsenal U23", "image": "https://..."},
  "to_team": {"name": "Arsenal", "image": "https://..."},
  "fee": "-", "market_value": "-"
}

get_player_season_stats

Get player season stats via ESPN overview endpoint. Works for any league with ESPN athlete IDs.

• player_id

  (str, required): ESPN athlete ID

• league_slug

  (str, optional): League slug hint (e.g., "eng.1", "esp.1"). Defaults to auto-detect.

Returns season stats (goals, assists, appearances, etc.) and game log when available.

get_player_profile

Get player profile. Works for any player if you have their Transfermarkt or FPL ID. At least one ID required.

• fpl_id

  (str, optional): FPL player ID (PL players only)

• tm_player_id

  (str, optional): Transfermarkt player ID (any league)

With

tm_player_id

, returns

data.player

with:

{
  "market_value": {"value": 130000000, "currency": "EUR", "formatted": "€130.00m", "date": "09/12/2025", "age": "24", "club": "Arsenal FC"},
  "market_value_history": [{"value": 7000000, "formatted": "€7.00m", "date": "23/09/2019", "club": "Arsenal FC"}],
  "transfer_history": [
    {"player_tm_id": "433177", "date": "2019-07-01", "season": "19/20", "from_team": {"name": "Arsenal U23"}, "to_team": {"name": "Arsenal"}, "fee": "-"}
  ]
}

With

fpl_id

, also includes

data.player.fpl_data

with FPL stats (points, form, ICT index, ownership, etc.).

Supported Leagues

Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, MLS, Championship, Eredivisie, Primeira Liga, Serie A Brazil, Champions League, European Championship, World Cup.

Data Sources

Source	What it provides	League coverage
ESPN	Scores, standings, schedules, lineups, match stats, timelines	All 13 leagues
openfootball	Schedules, standings, team lists (fallback when ESPN is down)	10 leagues (all except CL, Euros, World Cup)
Understat	xG per match, xG per shot, player xG/xA	Top 5 (EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1)
FPL	Top scorers, injuries, player stats, ownership	Premier League only
Transfermarkt	Market values, transfer history	Any player (requires tm_player_id)

For licensed data with full coverage across all sports (Sportradar, Opta, Genius Sports), see Machina Sports.

Examples

User: "Show me the Premier League table"

1. Call

   get_current_season(competition_id="premier-league")

   to get the current season_id
2. Call

   get_season_standings(season_id=<season_id from step 1>)

3. Present standings table with position, team, played, won, drawn, lost, GD, points

User: "How did Arsenal vs Liverpool go?"

1. Call

   get_daily_schedule()

   or

   get_team_schedule(team_id="359")

   to find the event_id
2. Call

   get_event_summary(event_id="...")

   for the score
3. Call

   get_event_statistics(event_id="...")

   for possession, shots, etc.
4. Call

   get_event_xg(event_id="...")

   for xG comparison (EPL — top 5 only)
5. Present match report with scores, key stats, and xG

User: "Deep dive on Chelsea's recent form"

1. Call

   search_team(query="Chelsea")

   → team_id=363, competition=premier-league
2. Call

   get_team_schedule(team_id="363", competition_id="premier-league")

   → find recent closed events
3. For each recent match, call in parallel:

   • get_event_xg(event_id="...")

     for xG comparison and shot map

   • get_event_statistics(event_id="...")

     for possession, shots, passes

   • get_event_players_statistics(event_id="...")

     for individual player xG/xA
4. Call

   get_missing_players(season_id=<season_id>)

   → filter Chelsea's injured/doubtful players
5. Call

   get_season_leaders(season_id=<season_id>)

   → filter Chelsea players, get their FPL IDs
6. Call

   get_player_profile(fpl_id="...", tm_player_id="...")

   for key players — combine FPL stats (form, ownership, ICT) with Transfermarkt data (market value, transfer history)
7. Present: xG trend across matches, key player stats, injury report, market values

User: "What's Saka's market value?"

1. Call

   get_player_profile(tm_player_id="433177")

   for Transfermarkt data
2. Optionally add

   fpl_id

   for FPL stats if Premier League player
3. Present market value, value history, and transfer history

User: "Tell me about Corinthians"

1. Call

   search_team(query="Corinthians")

   → team_id=874, competition=serie-a-brazil
2. Call

   get_team_schedule(team_id="874", competition_id="serie-a-brazil")

   for fixtures
3. Pick a recent match and call

   get_event_timeline(event_id="...")

   for goals, cards, subs
4. Note: xG, FPL stats, and season leaders are NOT available for Brazilian Serie A

Error Handling

When a command fails (wrong event_id, missing data, network error, etc.), do not surface the raw error to the user. Instead:

1. Catch it silently — treat the failure as an exploratory miss, not a fatal error.
2. Try alternatives — e.g., if an event_id returns no data, call

   get_daily_schedule()

   or

   get_team_schedule()

   to discover the correct ID. If ESPN is down, openfootball data may still be available via

   get_season_standings

   or

   get_season_schedule

   .
3. Only report failure after exhausting alternatives — and when you do, give a clean human-readable message (e.g., "I couldn't find that match — can you confirm the teams or date?"), not a traceback or raw CLI output.

This is especially important when the agent is responding through messaging platforms (Telegram, Slack, etc.) where raw exec failures look broken.

Common Mistakes

These are the ONLY valid commands. Do not invent or guess command names:

• get_current_season

• get_competitions

• get_competition_seasons

• get_season_schedule

• get_season_standings

• get_season_leaders

• get_season_teams

• search_team

• get_team_profile

• get_daily_schedule

• get_event_summary

• get_event_lineups

• get_event_statistics

• get_event_timeline

• get_team_schedule

• get_head_to_head

• get_event_xg

• get_event_players_statistics

• get_missing_players

• get_season_transfers

• get_player_profile

• get_player_season_stats

Commands that DO NOT exist (commonly hallucinated):

• get_standings

  — the correct command is

  get_season_standings

  (requires

  season_id

  ).

• get_live_scores

  — not available. Use

  get_daily_schedule()

  for today's matches; status field shows "live" for in-progress games.

• get_team_squad

  /

  get_team_roster

  —

  get_team_profile

  does NOT return players. Use

  get_season_leaders

  for PL player IDs, then

  get_player_profile

  for individual data.

• get_transfers

  — the correct command is

  get_season_transfers

  (requires

  season_id

  +

  tm_player_ids

  ).

• get_match_results

  /

  get_match

  — use

  get_event_summary

  with an

  event_id

  .

• get_player_stats

  — use

  get_event_players_statistics

  for match-level stats, or

  get_player_profile

  for career data.

Other common mistakes:

• Using

  get_season_leaders

  or

  get_missing_players

  on non-PL leagues — they return empty. Check the Data Coverage table.
• Using

  get_event_xg

  on leagues outside the top 5 — returns empty. Only works for EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1.
• Guessing

  team_id

  or

  event_id

  instead of discovering them via

  search_team

  ,

  get_daily_schedule

  , or

  get_season_schedule

  .

If you're unsure whether a command exists, check this list. Do not try commands that aren't listed above.

Troubleshooting

• sports-skills

  command not found: Package not installed. Run

  pip install sports-skills

  . If the package is not found on PyPI, install from GitHub:

  pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git

  . Requires Python 3.10+ — see Setup section.

• ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sports_skills'

  : Same as above — install the package. Prefer the CLI over Python imports to avoid path issues.
• Empty results for PL-only commands on other leagues:

  get_season_leaders

  and

  get_missing_players

  only return data for Premier League. They silently return empty for other leagues — check the Data Coverage table.

• get_team_profile

  returns empty players: This is expected — squad rosters are not available. To get player data for a PL team, use

  get_season_leaders

  to find players and their FPL IDs, then

  get_player_profile(fpl_id="...")

  for detailed stats. For Transfermarkt data, you need the player's

  tm_player_id

  .
• Finding FPL IDs and Transfermarkt IDs: Use

  get_season_leaders(season_id="premier-league-2025")

  to discover FPL IDs for PL players. Transfermarkt IDs must be looked up on transfermarkt.com — the ID is the number at the end of the player's URL. Well-known examples: Cole Palmer =

  568177

  , Bukayo Saka =

  433177

  , Mbappe =

  342229

  .
• No xG for recent matches: Understat data may lag 24-48 hours after a match ends. If

  get_event_xg

  returns empty for a recent top-5 match, try again later.
• Wrong season_id format: Must be

  {league-slug}-{year}

  e.g.

  "premier-league-2025"

  . Not

  "2025-2026"

  , not

  "EPL-2025"

  . Use

  get_current_season()

  to discover the correct format.
• Team/event IDs unknown: Use

  search_team(query="team name")

  to find team IDs by name, or

  get_season_teams

  to list all teams in a season. Use

  get_daily_schedule

  or

  get_season_schedule

  to find event IDs. IDs are ESPN numeric strings.