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"

Call get_current_season(competition_id="premier-league") to get the current season_id
Call get_season_standings(season_id=<season_id from step 1>)
Present standings table with position, team, played, won, drawn, lost, GD, points

User: "How did Arsenal vs Liverpool go?"

Call get_daily_schedule() or get_team_schedule(team_id="359") to find the event_id
Call get_event_summary(event_id="...") for the score
Call get_event_statistics(event_id="...") for possession, shots, etc.
Call get_event_xg(event_id="...") for xG comparison (EPL — top 5 only)
Present match report with scores, key stats, and xG

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

Call search_team(query="Chelsea") → team_id=363, competition=premier-league
Call get_team_schedule(team_id="363", competition_id="premier-league") → find recent closed events
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
Call get_missing_players(season_id=<season_id>) → filter Chelsea's injured/doubtful players
Call get_season_leaders(season_id=<season_id>) → filter Chelsea players, get their FPL IDs
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)
Present: xG trend across matches, key player stats, injury report, market values

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

Call get_player_profile(tm_player_id="433177") for Transfermarkt data
Optionally add fpl_id for FPL stats if Premier League player
Present market value, value history, and transfer history

User: "Tell me about Corinthians"

Call search_team(query="Corinthians") → team_id=874, competition=serie-a-brazil
Call get_team_schedule(team_id="874", competition_id="serie-a-brazil") for fixtures
Pick a recent match and call get_event_timeline(event_id="...") for goals, cards, subs
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:

Catch it silently — treat the failure as an exploratory miss, not a fatal error.
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.
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.

football-data