What is the APIfootball MCP server?

It's a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes APIfootball's football data — fixtures, live scores, standings, head-to-head history, predictions and odds — as tools an AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any custom MCP client) can call directly during a conversation, instead of you writing REST integration code yourself.

Do I need a new account or a special API key to use the MCP server?

No. You connect with the same APIfootball API key you already use (or a new free one from the registration page). The MCP server is a thin adapter over the existing REST API — your plan, limits and billing stay exactly the same.

Which AI tools can connect to this MCP server?

Any MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and custom agents built on the Model Context Protocol SDKs. You add one small JSON configuration block pointing at https://mcp.apifootball.com/mcp with your API key, and the tools become available in that client.

How is the MCP server different from the regular APIfootball REST API?

Same underlying data and the same API key/plan, but shaped for AI agents instead of application code: fewer, purpose-built tools (like search_football_leagues or get_head_to_head) instead of raw REST parameters, compact responses to avoid wasting tokens, and tool descriptions that teach the AI model when and how to use each one correctly.

Is there a free plan for the MCP server?

Yes. Because the MCP server uses your existing APIfootball API key, the free plan and all paid plans work with it exactly as they do with the REST API — see the plans on the APIfootball homepage.

Model Context Protocol

Give Your AI Agent Live Football Data

The APIfootball MCP server connects Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and any MCP-compatible AI agent directly to fixtures, live scores, standings, head-to-head history, predictions and odds — no custom REST integration code required.

Read the Documentation Get a Free API Key

What is an MCP server?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI applications call external tools in a consistent way. Instead of an AI model guessing at football facts or you writing a custom integration against our REST API, your AI agent calls a well-defined tool — like get_football_matches or get_head_to_head — and gets back accurate, structured, live data from APIfootball.com. Same account, same API key, same plan you already have.

10 Tools, Ready to Use

Every tool returns compact, model-friendly JSON — no wasted tokens on raw REST payloads.

Search Leagues

search_football_leagues

Find the right competition by country or name — e.g. "Serie A", "Italy" — without guessing league IDs.

Matches & Fixtures

get_football_matches

Fixtures and results for any date range, league or team — up to 15 days per request.

Live Matches

get_live_football_matches

Everything currently being played, worldwide or filtered by league.

Standings

get_football_standings

Full league tables with overall, home and away records.

Match Details

get_match_details

Goals, cards, lineups and statistics for a single match, on demand.

Head-to-Head

get_head_to_head

Past meetings between two teams, plus each team's recent form.

Predictions

get_football_predictions

Win / draw / loss probabilities and a computed favorite for upcoming matches.

Betting Odds

get_football_odds

Real bookmaker odds — 1X2, double chance, both-teams-to-score, over/under.

Top Scorers

get_football_topscorers

Ranked scoring charts per league, with assists and penalty goals.

Live Odds & Commentary

get_live_football_odds_comments

In-play odds movement and live text commentary for matches happening now.

See full parameters & examples in the documentation →

Connect in 3 Steps

Get an API key

Use your existing APIfootball key, or register for a free one.

Add the MCP server

Point your AI client at https://mcp.apifootball.com/mcp with your key as a bearer token.

Just ask

Your AI agent now calls live football data itself — no code to write.

Example configuration (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apifootball": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apifootball.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFOOTBALL_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Full connection instructions for every client →

What You Can Ask

Once connected, your AI agent can answer questions like these directly — with real, current data:

"What are today's Serie A fixtures?"
"Show me the live matches right now and tell me which one looks most interesting."
"How has Real Madrid done against Barcelona in their last meetings?"
"Who's leading the Premier League table right now?"
"Who's favored to win tonight's match, and what are the odds?"
"Who's the top scorer in La Liga this season?"

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the APIfootball MCP server?: It's a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes APIfootball's football data — fixtures, live scores, standings, head-to-head history, predictions and odds — as tools an AI agent can call directly during a conversation, instead of you writing REST integration code yourself.
Do I need a new account or a special API key?: No. You connect with the same APIfootball API key you already use (or a new free one from the registration page). The MCP server is a thin adapter over the existing REST API — your plan, limits and billing stay exactly the same.
Which AI tools can connect to this?: Any MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and custom agents built on the Model Context Protocol SDKs. You add one small JSON configuration block with your API key, and the tools become available in that client.
How is this different from the regular REST API?: Same underlying data, same API key and plan, but shaped for AI agents instead of application code: fewer, purpose-built tools instead of raw REST parameters, compact responses to avoid wasting tokens, and descriptions that teach the AI model when and how to use each tool correctly. See the full REST API documentation if you're integrating from your own backend instead.
Is there a free plan?: Yes — see the plans and coverage on the APIfootball homepage. Since the MCP server uses your existing API key, every plan works with it automatically.