How to watch football as an analyst: checklist

What is the sports events API in football and how does it work

The football sports events API is a software interface that provides matches, scores, lineups, statistics, and odds in a machine-readable format. Instead of manually searching for numbers in protocols, you make an HTTP request to the server and receive a structured JSON with data for a specific match, tournament, or team. Based on such an API, you can build your own match trackers, analytical dashboards, chatbots, website widgets, and betting services.

Technically, it’s simple: your application sends a request to an endpoint of the type /v2/fútbol/partidos or /v2/fútbol/partidos/{matchId} on the server https://api.api-sport.ru. The authorization key is passed in the header, and the request line contains filters by date, tournament, and match status. In response, you receive a list of matches with status fields, score, current minute, extended statistics, as well as nested objects for teams, tournaments, and bookmaker odds.

La plataforma api-sport.ru — API de eventos deportivos It is aimed at developers and analysts from Russia: it supports several types of sports, Russian names of tournaments and teams, historical and live data, and is expanding with new features. A WebSocket for streaming events without polling the server and AI functions for advanced forecasting models will be available soon. Below is a basic example of a request for all football matches on a selected date.

fetch('https://api.api-sport.ru/v2/football/matches?date=2025-09-03', {
  headers: {
    Authorization: 'ВАШ_API_КЛЮЧ'
  }
})
  .then(res => res.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Всего матчей:', data.totalMatches)
    console.log('Первый матч:', data.matches[0])
  })
  .catch(console.error)

What football data can be obtained through the API for match analytics

Through the football API, you receive both the context of the match and deep statistics. The basic data layer includes teams, tournament, stadium, date and time, match status, and scores by halves. In the response object partido there are fields homeTeam и awayTeam with lineups and formation (lineup.formation), information about the season and round, as well as detailed scores by periods in the object puntajeLocal и puntajeVisitante.

For viewing the match as an analyst, live fields are especially important. Through the endpoints /v2/fútbol/partidos и /v2/fútbol/partidos/{matchId} available minutoDelPartidoActual (current minute), array eventosEnVivo (goals, cards, substitutions, penalties, added time) and an array estadísticasDelPartido. The last one contains grouped metrics: ball possession, number of shots and shots on target, x big chances, goalkeeper saves, interceptions, duels, passing accuracy, crosses, and much more. Thanks to this, you see not only the score but also the structure of the game.

A separate block is data for betting and video analytics. The match object contains oddsBase markets and odds (1X2, totals, handicaps) and the dynamics of their changes, as well as momentosDestacados links to video reviews and highlights. This allows you to combine statistics, odds, and video in a single interface. An example of a request for one match and reading part of the statistics in Python:

import requests
API_KEY = 'ВАШ_API_КЛЮЧ'
MATCH_ID = 14570728
resp = requests.get(
    f'https://api.api-sport.ru/v2/football/matches/{MATCH_ID}',
    headers={'Authorization': API_KEY}
)
match = resp.json()
stats_all = match.get('matchStatistics', [])
if stats_all:
    overview = stats_all[0]['groups'][0]['statisticsItems']
    for item in overview:
        if item['key'] == 'ballPossession':
            print('Владение мячом:', item['home'], '-', item['away'])

How to choose a football API for amateur and professional analytics

When choosing a football API, it is important to understand what tasks you are solving. Amateur analytics and watching matches with extended statistics require reliable access to live scores, basic statistics, and match history. Professional analysis for media, tipsters, or betting products needs deeper statistics on shots, passes, duels, as well as live odds and stable data updates with minimal delay.

Key selection criteria: coverage breadth (how many countries, leagues, and tournaments are available), statistics depth (availability of estadísticasDelPartido, eventosEnVivo, lineups and player positions), market types, and update frequency in oddsBase, reliability of infrastructure and availability of documentation. For users from Russia, additional advantages will be Russian localization of tournaments and teams, convenient payment, and stable access from local networks. All these parameters together allow you to build an interface where you watch football not as a fan but as an analyst.

La plataforma api-sport.ru provides a unified API for football and other sports, thoroughly documents each endpoint, and supports extended statistics, live events, and bookmaker odds. Through the endpoint /v2/fútbol/categorías you get a list of countries and recommended tournaments in the field. torneosPredeterminados, which is convenient when forming league showcases for users. Below is an example of a category request:

fetch('https://api.api-sport.ru/v2/football/categories', {
  headers: { Authorization: 'ВАШ_API_КЛЮЧ' }
})
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Категории:', data.categories.length)
    console.log('Дефолтные турниры RU:', data.defaultTournaments.ru)
  })
  .catch(console.error)

How to connect and configure the football statistics API: step-by-step instructions

To start watching football as an analyst and build your tools around the data, you need to connect to the API and set up basic requests. First, go through a quick registration at tu cuenta personal en api-sport.ru. After confirmation, you will receive a personal API key, which is passed in the header Autorización with each request to the server. This key identifies you, takes into account limits, and allows access to all permitted sports and tournaments.

Next, define the minimum set of data needed for your scenario. For example, for «smart» viewing of matches, you typically only need the endpoints /v2/fútbol/partidos for the list of games and /v2/fútbol/partidos/{matchId} for details, including estadísticasDelPartido и eventosEnVivo. At the setup stage, it is useful to test requests in a simple script or through any HTTP client, ensuring that you correctly pass date, tournament, match status filters and handle errors and response codes.

Once basic access is verified, proceed to integration into the product or personal dashboard. Set up caching for frequently requested data (tournament lists, teams), and for live matches, use periodic polling or, as they appear, WebSocket connections for instant receipt of new events and updating statistics. It is important to log responses carefully to track data quality and build your additional calculations if necessary. Below is an example of a simple request for today’s football matches in Python.

import requests
API_KEY = 'ВАШ_API_КЛЮЧ'
resp = requests.get(
    'https://api.api-sport.ru/v2/football/matches',
    headers={'Authorization': API_KEY}
)
if resp.status_code == 200:
    data = resp.json()
    print('Матчи сегодня:', data.get('totalMatches'))
else:
    print('Ошибка:', resp.status_code, resp.text)

How to watch football as an analyst using real-time API data

Watching football as an analyst begins even before the starting whistle. Before the match, you can request through the API the history of the teams’ games for the season, their results in the current tournament, and typical formations. For this, filters by equipo_id, temporada_id and the match status completado en el endpoint /v2/fútbol/partidos. At this stage, it becomes clear who dominates in creating chances, who attacks more often through the flanks, and who relies on set pieces.

During the game itself, you can organize a separate screen with API data: the current minute (minutoDelPartidoActual), ball possession, shots and shots on target, major moments, interceptions, clearances, and the number of duels. This data is updated through requests to /v2/fútbol/partidos/{matchId}, and in the near future, it will be possible to receive it via a WebSocket connection without constant polling. The timeline of events in the array eventosEnVivo allows you to see the turning points of the match: at what moment the game broke, when the coach started changing the formation, how the red card or penalty affected the game.

Practical scenario: you start the broadcast and simultaneously open a dashboard that updates statistics for the selected match every 20-30 seconds. Based on the dynamics of the indicators, you note whether the pressure is increasing, whether the number of shots from the penalty area is growing, and whether the structure of possession is changing. This helps not only to better understand what is happening on the field but also to make more informed decisions in live betting or discuss the match with friends in terms of numbers. Below is an example of a simple client in JavaScript that polls the API and outputs key metrics to the console.

const API_KEY = 'ВАШ_API_КЛЮЧ'
const MATCH_ID = 14570728
async function loadMatch() {
  const res = await fetch(
    `https://api.api-sport.ru/v2/football/matches/${MATCH_ID}`,
    { headers: { Authorization: API_KEY } }
  )
  const match = await res.json()
  console.log('Минута:', match.currentMatchMinute)
  console.log('Счёт:', match.homeScore.current, '-', match.awayScore.current)
}
setInterval(loadMatch, 30000)

Checklist of key metrics for analyzing a football match based on API data

To watch football like an analyst, it is useful to have a clear checklist of metrics that you track during the match. In the API, these indicators are collected in an array estadísticasDelPartido, divided into groups: overall overview, shots, attack, passes, duels, defense, and goalkeeper. In the Match overview block, you find ball possession (ballPossession), major moments (granOportunidadCreada), total number of passes (passes), angular (tiros de esquina), fouls (faltas) and yellow cards (tarjetas amarillas).

The Shots section shows how the team converts possession into real threats: total number of shots and shots on target (totalDisparosALaPortería, disparosALaPortería), shots from inside the box and from outside the box (totalDisparosDentroDelÁrea, totalShotsOutsideBox), blocked attempts. The Attack block complements the picture with data on converted and missed big chances (granOportunidadMarcada, bigChanceMissed), touches in the box (touchesInOppBox) and offsides (fuera de juego). To assess the organization of play in defense, use Recoveries, Interceptions, Clearances, and the percentage of successful tackles (wonTacklePercent), and for controlling duels — the indicators Duels and Aerial duels.

A separate level of analysis is working with passes and goalkeepers. In the Passes group, accurate passes are available (accuratePasses), entries into the final third (finalThirdEntries), long passes and crosses indicating successful attempts and total numbers. The Goalkeeping block shows the number of saves (goalkeeperSaves), punches and goal kicks. In practice, it is convenient to parse the necessary keys from estadísticasDelPartido into your object and visualize them in the form of charts or timelines. An example of extracting several metrics in JavaScript:

function extractKeyStats(match) {
  const stats = match.matchStatistics.find(s => s.period === 'ALL')
  const overview = stats.groups.find(g => g.groupName === 'Match overview')
  const shots = stats.groups.find(g => g.groupName === 'Shots')
  const get = (group, key) => group.statisticsItems.find(i => i.key === key)
  return {
    possession: get(overview, 'ballPossession'),
    bigChances: get(overview, 'bigChanceCreated'),
    shotsOnTarget: get(shots, 'shotsOnGoal')
  }
}

Popular services and platforms with football API for fans from Russia

The market offers several categories of services that provide access to football data via API. The first group consists of universal sports APIs that cover several sports at once: football, hockey, basketball, tennis, and others. In them, football data is included in the overall stack: unified authorization, similar structure of match and tournament table objects, common limit system. The second group consists of solutions focused on professional media and club analysis, where the main focus is on the depth of statistics and custom metrics, but access to such data usually costs more and requires individual contracts.

For fans and developers from Russia, the factors of availability and localization are particularly important. It is essential that the service works reliably from Russian networks, supports Russian names of countries, tournaments, and teams, has documentation in a comprehensible language, and offers convenient payment options. This platform is specifically aimed at these tasks api-sport.ru with football and multi-sport API.. It provides a unified interface to data on matches, teams, players, tournaments, and bookmaker odds, as well as develops new capabilities: WebSocket streams and AI modules for advanced analytics.

Thanks to the uniform data format, you can integrate the football API once and then connect hockey, basketball, tennis, or esports using the same template. This is convenient if you are building your own product for sports statistics, want to create a multi-sport dashboard for viewing matches as an analyst, or are developing a service for betting analysis. As a result, you get not just a live score, but a full-fledged platform on which you can design your models, visualizations, and user scenarios around sports.