FBref & Stathead Data Update
20th January 2026
At Sports Reference we have taken great pride in the role FBref has played over the last seven years as an expansive source for soccer fans all over the world. Unfortunately, last week the provider of our advanced soccer data sent us a letter terminating our access to their data feeds and requiring the deletion of their data from the site immediately. As a result, we have removed the provider's data from FBref and Stathead in compliance with their demand.
The data provider has asserted that our use of the data violated our agreement. Their demand came unexpectedly despite our long-standing and good-faith operation of FBref and Stathead. We have operated the sites in a consistent manner from their creation (well before the signing of this agreement) through today, and we have always welcomed open and frank discussions about how the sites operate.
Any effort to retain access to this advanced data would have been costly and uncertain. Under the circumstances, we have decided to comply with the termination notice.
This creates a significant gap in the stats offered on FBref and Stathead. We are heartbroken both for our users who have come to rely upon this product and for our team that has spent thousands of hours bringing these stats to life and supporting our users. We are especially upset by the massive step back this creates in access for women's advanced soccer data. Data Democratization is a core Sports Reference value and the removal of this data is a sad day for all of us.
We will take time to assess possible paths forward. FBref will continue to present the deep historic basic data we have for over one hundred competitions, but if we present advanced data in the future it will certainly have a dramatically smaller scale.
Please do not send requests for data or access to a product that no longer exists. The advanced data has been deleted and cannot be provided.
For Stathead subscribers: we recognize that the product has changed substantially from the product you signed up for. We will make sure Stathead soccer subscribers are made whole should they desire a refund. We are working through the implications and processes needed and will contact you shortly (likely by Friday) with refund options, including full-month refunds for monthly subscribers and prorated refunds for annual subscribers to our single-sport soccer product. If, after we reach out with our refund offer, you still have questions please contact our customer success team.
Posted in Advanced Stats, Announcement, expire21d, FBref, General, Statgeekery, Uncategorized | Comments Off on FBref & Stathead Data Update
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