5DollarFootballAPI

5DollarFootballAPI

5DollarFootballAPI is a low-cost football (soccer) data API: fixtures, live scores, standings, match events and statistics, plus pre-match and in-play odds from bet365 and 19 other bookmakers — including corner and card lines and full odds movement history that most football APIs don't carry. It positions itself as an affordable alternative to API-Football, Sportmonks and FootyStats. Paid plans start at $5/month, and there's a free tier with no credit card.

Base URL: https://api.5dollarfootballapi.com/v1 · Docs: 5dollarfootballapi.com/docs · Website: 5dollarfootballapi.com

Authentication

Every request needs an API key. Keys start with fb_live_ and are shown once when created — store them server-side. Send it as a Bearer token (or in an X-API-Key header):

Authorization: Bearer fb_live_your_key

A request without a key returns 401 with error code missing_api_key. Sign up free at 5dollarfootballapi.com/signup.

Your First Request

Live matches right now:

curl "https://api.5dollarfootballapi.com/v1/fixtures?status=live" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer fb_live_your_key"

Every response uses the same envelope — {"success": 1, "data": ...} on success (list endpoints add a pagination object), and {"success": 0, "error": {...}} on failure. A missing resource returns a real 404, never an empty 200.

Python SDK

pip install fivedollarfootball

from fivedollarfootball import Client

client = Client("fb_live_your_key")

# Today's fixtures (kickoff window defaults to today, UTC)
for match in client.fixtures():
    teams = match["teams"]
    print(teams["home"]["name"], "vs", teams["away"]["name"], "-", match["status"])

# Current corner-line odds for one fixture
odds = client.fixture_odds(1234567, market="corner")

# Every recorded price movement for a market (Ultra)
for tick in client.iter_all(client.odds_history, fixture_id=1234567, market="corner"):
    print(tick)

Node.js SDK

npm install fivedollarfootball

const { Client } = require("fivedollarfootball");

const client = new Client("fb_live_your_key");
const { data: live } = await client.fixtures({ status: "live" });
const table = await client.standings(leagueId, { type: "corner" });

Both SDKs retry automatically on 429 (honouring Retry-After), raise typed errors with the API's error code and request_id, and include a helper that walks paginated results. The Node client has zero dependencies and ships TypeScript definitions.

Endpoints

Odds markets include 1X2, Asian handicap, goal line, corners, cards, half-time and BTTS, as opening, closing and in-play prices. Many endpoints accept lang for localised names, and esports to include e-football.

Lists paginate with page and per_page (default 50, max 100; 50 when using include; up to 500 for status=live). Keep requesting while pagination.has_more is true.

Pricing

Free Community (300 requests/hour, top 5 plus one country pack) and Education access are also available. Public-facing products on the Free, Community and Education plans must show "Football data by 5DollarFootballAPI" with a link; it's optional on Pro, Ultra and Business, and never needed for private or internal use.

Rate Limits

Every response carries X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset. Going over returns 429 with a Retry-After header — back off and retry. There are no daily caps beyond the per-hour or per-minute window.

MCP Server for AI Assistants

5DollarFootballAPI runs a hosted MCP server at https://mcp.5dollarfootballapi.com/mcp with 11 read-only tools for fixtures, live scores, standings, current odds and full odds history. It authenticates with your API key, and each call counts against your plan like a normal request.

claude mcp add --transport http football-api https://mcp.5dollarfootballapi.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer fb_live_your_key"

For Claude and ChatGPT custom connectors, use https://mcp.5dollarfootballapi.com/mcp/fb_live_your_key instead. That URL contains your key, so create a separate key for it and treat the URL like a password. MCP docs →

Use Cases

• Betting models and value finders — line movement from the odds-history endpoint, across 20 bookmakers
• Corner and card markets — odds and standings that most football APIs don't cover
• Live score apps and widgets — live fixtures, events and statistics
• Fantasy, analytics and student projects — cheap or free access to fixtures, tables and historical results

Read the full 5DollarFootballAPI docs →