Most football apps need more than just live scores — users want to search for their favorite team or player and see squad lists, upcoming fixtures, and league position. This guide shows you how to build that search-and-profile experience using Live Football API.
Why Search Matters for Football Apps
A reliable search feature is the entry point for most football app experiences:
- Fan apps — letting users find and follow their club
- Fantasy football platforms — searching for players to add to a squad
- News sites — auto-linking team and player names to profile pages
- Betting platforms — quickly pulling up a team's form and squad before placing a market
Searching for a Team
The /team_search endpoint takes a keyword and returns matching teams with their IDs and logos, which you can then use with other endpoints.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://live-football-api.com/api/v1/team_search',
params={'api_key': 'YOUR_KEY', 'q': 'galatasaray'}
).json()
for team in response['data']['teams']:
print(f"{team['name']} — ID: {team['id']}")
The same call in JavaScript:
const res = await fetch(
'https://live-football-api.com/api/v1/team_search' +
'?api_key=YOUR_KEY&q=galatasaray'
);
const result = await res.json();
result.data.teams.forEach(team => {
console.log(`${team.name} — ID: ${team.id}`);
});
Searching for a Player
The /player_search endpoint works the same way, returning matching players with their IDs and photos.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://live-football-api.com/api/v1/player_search',
params={'api_key': 'YOUR_KEY', 'q': 'mbappe'}
).json()
for player in response['data']['players']:
print(f"{player['name']} — ID: {player['id']}")
Fetching a Team's Full Squad
Once you have a team_id, use /team_squad to get the full player list with positions, shirt numbers, and nationality.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://live-football-api.com/api/v1/team_squad',
params={'api_key': 'YOUR_KEY', 'team_id': 'lfa-man-city', 'season': '2024/2025'}
).json()
for player in response['data']['players']:
print(f"#{player['number']} {player['name']} ({player['position']}) — {player['nationality']}")
Fetching a Team's Fixtures and Results
The /team_matches endpoint returns both past results and upcoming fixtures for a team across a season.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://live-football-api.com/api/v1/team_matches',
params={'api_key': 'YOUR_KEY', 'team_id': 'lfa-man-city', 'season': '2024/2025', 'lang': 'en'}
).json()
for match in response['data']['matches']:
status = match['status']
score = match['score'] if match['score'] else 'vs'
print(f"{match['date']} — {match['home']['name']} {score} {match['away']['name']} ({status})")
Fetching a Team's League Standing
The /team_standings endpoint returns where a team currently sits in its league table, without needing to fetch the full standings list separately.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://live-football-api.com/api/v1/team_standings',
params={'api_key': 'YOUR_KEY', 'team_id': 'lfa-man-city', 'lang': 'en'}
).json()
print(response['data'])
Putting It Together: A Team Profile Page
Combining these endpoints lets you build a complete team profile page: search box → team selection → squad list, recent form, upcoming fixtures, and current league position, all sourced from a handful of 1-credit API calls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I search for youth or reserve teams too?
Yes, team search results can include youth and reserve squads (for example, an U19 team) alongside the first team, depending on what's available for that club.
Do I need to specify a season for team_squad and team_matches?
No, the season parameter is optional — if omitted, both endpoints default to the current season.
What happens if a search query matches multiple players with the same name?
The endpoint returns all matches with distinguishing details like their ID and photo, so you can let the user pick the correct one from a list.
Is there a rate limit on search endpoints?
Search endpoints consume 1 credit per call, the same as other standard endpoints, with no special rate limit beyond your account's daily and credit limits.
