Compare
StrikerAPI vs scraping FBref
FBref has no public API, and Sports Reference's terms bar scrapers and bulk collection. StrikerAPI serves soccer data over REST and MCP with no scraper to maintain.
Comparison facts checked October 9, 2026. StrikerAPI data last refreshed 2026-10-10 11:20 UTC, newest data through 2026-09-20. Changelog
FBref is part of Sports Reference, which publishes no API. Its data-use terms prohibit accessing the site with scripts, bots or scrapers without express written permission, say it blocks IP addresses with excessive activity, and bar using its content to build a database that competes with it or to train AI models. Custom data downloads are quoted from $5,000. So scraping FBref is both a maintenance job and, by those terms, not a base for a product.
StrikerAPI serves fixtures, lineups, match events, shot locations with our xG, league tables, per-book odds history and ratings for seventeen competitions over REST and an MCP server. For reading a player page by hand, FBref is still the place to go.
Side by side
| StrikerAPI | scraping FBref | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 500 free credits, no card, then paid plans | Free to read; custom downloads from $5,000 |
| Access | REST API and MCP server | HTML pages; no public API |
| Automated use | Intended and keyed | Restricted by their data-use terms |
| Competitions | Seventeen | Check the site for current coverage |
| Shot locations and xG | Every charted shot since 2012-13, with our xG | Check the site for what it currently shows |
| Sportsbook lines | By book from 2017-18 | Not a focus of the site |
| Upkeep | Ours | Yours, whenever the pages change |
Use scraping FBref instead if
- You are looking something up by hand: a player, a season, a squad.
- You need a competition or a statistic we do not carry.
- You have written permission from Sports Reference for your use.
Questions
Does FBref have an API?
Not a public one. The pages are meant to be read in a browser, and Sports Reference's terms bar scripts, bots and scrapers without written permission.
Is there a legal way to get football data into code?
Yes: a licensed or self-serve data API. StrikerAPI is one for seventeen competitions, with 500 free credits to try.
Sources
Checked October 9, 2026.
See the data
Try it with 500 free credits
No card. REST or MCP.