Best Free Football APIs
Football (soccer) APIs with free tiers and freemium plans. Get live scores, fixtures, standings, and player stats without spending a dime. Compare free request limits, league coverage, and upgrade paths.
Recommended Free Football API Providers
Sorted by overall score| Provider | Score | Free Tier | Live Data | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SportMonks | 8.7 | Yes | Yes | Free | Football-only apps, Fantasy football |
| API-Football | 8.6 | Yes | Yes | Free | Football apps, Fantasy football |
| API-Sports | 8.4 | Yes | Yes | Free | Startups, Hobby projects |
| Betfair Exchange API | 8.4 | Yes | Yes | Free | Automated trading bots, Arbitrage applications |
| The Odds API | 8.2 | Yes | Yes | Free | Odds comparison tools, Betting analytics |
| SportsDataIO | 7.9 | Yes | Yes | Free | Fantasy sports apps, US sports media |
| Pinnacle API | 7.9 | Yes | Yes | Free | Sharp odds reference, Quantitative betting models |
| Entity Sport | 7.7 | Yes | Yes | Free | Cricket apps, Fantasy cricket |
| SportsLab API | 7.7 | Yes | Yes | Free | Sports analytics, Data science projects |
| Sports Odds API | 7.7 | Yes | Yes | Free | Odds comparison tools, Arbitrage detection |
How We Evaluated Free Football APIs
Free Tier Request Limits
We evaluate the number of free requests per day or month, rate limits, and whether football-specific endpoints are included in the free plan.
League Coverage on Free Plan
We check which football leagues and competitions are accessible without payment, including whether lower divisions and international competitions are included.
Live Data on Free Tier
We verify whether free tiers include live match data, real-time scores, match events, or if live data is restricted to paid plans only.
Feature Access Without Payment
We assess which features are available for free, including fixtures, standings, teams, player stats, head-to-head, and whether odds are excluded.
Upgrade Path & Pricing
We evaluate how the free football tier transitions to paid plans, the cost of the first paid tier, and whether the upgrade provides significant value.
Documentation & Developer Experience
Free-tier providers should have clear documentation, football-specific code samples, and an easy sign-up process so developers can start building quickly.
Learn more about our scoring methodology on our How We Score page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free football API?
API-Sports (which includes API-Football) is our top pick for free football data, offering 100 requests per day with access to fixtures, standings, teams, and basic stats. Football-Data.org is another excellent free option with 10 requests per minute covering major European leagues. For odds data, The Odds API provides 500 free requests per month.
Can I get live football scores for free?
Yes, several free football APIs provide live scores. API-Sports includes live match data on its free tier, though with the standard 100 requests/day limit. Football-Data.org also provides live matchday data. Keep in mind that free tiers have rate limits that may restrict how frequently you can poll for live updates during matches.
How many free requests do football APIs offer?
Free football API request limits vary: API-Sports and API-Football offer 100 requests per day, Football-Data.org provides 10 requests per minute, and The Odds API gives 500 requests per month. For a live score application polling every 30 seconds during matches, the 100/day limit would be consumed in about 50 minutes of live polling.
Can I use a free football API for commercial projects?
It depends on the provider. API-Sports allows commercial use on its free tier. Football-Data.org requires attribution for free-tier usage. Always check the specific terms of service before deploying a free-tier API in a commercial product. When scaling beyond the free limits, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan.
What leagues can I access on free football API tiers?
Free football API tiers typically cover major leagues. API-Sports free tier includes access to all supported leagues (1,000+) but with request limits. Football-Data.org free tier covers 12 major competitions including Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. Some providers restrict premium leagues to paid plans.
Need More Than a Free Football API?
Use our AI-powered finder to match football APIs to your budget and scale, or compare free and paid plans side by side.