---
updatedAt: 2026-06-11T14:40:07.000Z
agentTools:
projectIndex: https://developers.pandascore.co/llms.txt
---
# Getting started
This page will walk you through everything you need to know to get up and running with the API
## 1. How the data is structured
Before making your first request, it's worth understanding how PandaScore organises esports data. Everything flows from the top down:
**League → Series → Tournament → Match → Game**
* A **League** is the top-level competition (e.g. *ESL Pro League*).
* A **Series** is a single time-bound occurrence of that league (e.g. *ESL Pro League Season 21*).
* A **Tournament** is a stage within that series (e.g. *Group Stage*, *Playoffs*).
* A **Match** is a head-to-head between two teams within a tournament.
* A **Game** is a single map or game within that match (e.g. Map 1 of a best-of-3).
📖 Full breakdown: [Fundamentals](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/fundamentals)
***
## 2. Authentication
All API requests require your token, passed as a query parameter:
```
https://api.pandascore.co/matches/upcoming?token=YOUR_TOKEN
```
You can find your token in your [PandaScore dashboard](https://app.pandascore.co/dashboard/main).
📖 Full details: [Authentication](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/authentication) | [Rate & connection limits](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/rate-and-connections-limits)
***
## 3. Key concepts to know before you build
These three topics come up in almost every integration. Read them before you start polling:
### Match lifecycle & the `complete` field
Matches move through several statuses (`not_started` → `running` → `finished`). For matches with detailed statistics, there's an additional field you need to know about: **`complete`**.
* `complete = false` after a game finishes means post-game statistics are still being processed. **Do not consume stats yet.**
* `complete = true` means statistics are finalised and ready to use.
📖 [Match lifecycle](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/matches-lifecycle) | [Match formats](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/match-formats)
***
### Coverage levels: `detailed_stats` and `live_supported`
Not every tournament has the same level of coverage. Two fields tell you exactly what to expect:
| Field | Value | What it means |
| ---------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `detailed_stats` | `false` | Fixtures and results only — no post-game statistics |
| `detailed_stats` | `true` | Full post-game statistics will be available |
| `live_supported` | `true` | In-game live data is available for this tournament's matches |
Use these as filters to fetch tournaments relevant to your use case. For example, to get only live-supported upcoming tournaments:
```
GET /tournaments/upcoming?filter[live_supported]=true
```
Or to only get matches that will have statistics:
```
GET /matches/upcoming?filter[detailed_stats]=true
```
📖 [Filtering and sorting](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/filtering-and-sorting) | [Tournaments in-depth](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/tournaments-in-depth)
***
### Pagination
API responses are paginated by default (50 results per page). Use `page` and `per_page` parameters to navigate:
```
GET /matches/upcoming?page=2&per_page=100
```
`per_page` maximum is 100.
📖 [Pagination](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/pagination)
***
## 4. Fixtures & schedule endpoints
These endpoints are available on **all plans** and form the backbone of any integration.
### Matches
| What you need | Endpoint |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Upcoming matches | `GET /matches/upcoming` |
| Live / running matches | `GET /matches/running` |
| Past matches | `GET /matches/past` |
| A specific match | `GET /matches/{id}` |
| Match opponents | `GET /matches/{id}/opponents` |
📖 [API Reference — Matches](https://developers.pandascore.co/reference/get_matches_upcoming)
***
### Tournaments, leagues & series
| What you need | Endpoint |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| Upcoming tournaments | `GET /tournaments/upcoming` |
| Tournament standings | `GET /tournaments/{id}/standings` |
| Tournament brackets | `GET /tournaments/{id}/brackets` |
| Tournament rosters | `GET /tournaments/{id}/rosters` |
| Matches in a tournament | `GET /tournaments/{id}/matches` |
| List all leagues | `GET /leagues` |
| Matches in a league | `GET /leagues/{id}/matches` |
| List all series | `GET /series` |
📖 [API Reference — Tournaments](https://developers.pandascore.co/reference/get_tournaments_upcoming)
***
### Players & teams
| What you need | Endpoint |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| A specific player | `GET /players/{id}` |
| A specific team | `GET /teams/{id}` |
| A player's match history | `GET /players/{id}/matches` |
| A player's tournament history | `GET /players/{id}/tournaments` |
| A team's match history | `GET /teams/{id}/matches` |
| A team's series history | `GET /teams/{id}/series` |
### **Tip:** To trace a player's team history across their career, use `GET /players/{id}/tournaments` — this returns the team they played for in each tournament, which is the most reliable way to track roster changes.
📖 [API Reference — Players](https://developers.pandascore.co/reference/get_players_playeridorslug) | [Teams](https://developers.pandascore.co/reference/get_teams_teamidorslug)
***
### Currently live matches (WebSocket)
| What you need | Endpoint |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------------ |
| All currently open live WebSocket streams | `GET /lives` |
This endpoint lists all matches currently streaming live data, including the WebSocket URLs for frames and events. WebSocket connections open **15 minutes before** the scheduled match start time.
📖 [API Reference — Lives](https://developers.pandascore.co/reference/get_lives) | [WebSockets overview](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/websockets-overview)
***
## 5. Keeping your data in sync
If you're building a database or pipeline, you don't need to re-poll every endpoint to catch updates. The **incidents feed** gives you a stream of all changes, additions, and deletions across the API — think of it like a changelog you can poll regularly.
| What you need | Endpoint |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| All recent changes, additions & deletions | `GET /incidents` |
| Only new additions | `GET /additions` |
| Only updated objects | `GET /changes` |
| Only deleted objects | `GET /deletions` |
This covers everything: match reschedules, roster changes, score corrections, tournament updates. Available on **all plans**.
📖 [API Reference — Incidents](https://developers.pandascore.co/reference/get_incidents) | [Tracking changes](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/tracking-changes)
***
## 6. CS2 endpoint naming
One thing that trips up almost every CS2 integration: **all CS2 endpoints use the `/csgo/` prefix**, not `/cs2/`. This is for legacy reasons and applies across the board:
```
GET /csgo/matches/upcoming
GET /csgo/games/{id}
GET /csgo/players/{id}/stats
```
📖 [Counter-Strike 2 migration guide](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/counter-strike-2-migration)
***
## 7. Testing with the Sandbox
If you're on the **Pro Live plan**, you don't need to wait for a live match to test your WebSocket integration. The sandbox lets you replay a CS or LoL game on demand at adjustable speeds.
**Start a LoL replay:**
```
POST https://live.pandascore.co/api/lol/replay
```
**Start a CS replay:**
```
POST https://live.pandascore.co/api/csgo/replay
```
Both return WebSocket URLs for frames and events. You can control `playback_speed` (1×, 1.5×, 2×) and set a starting point in-game (`ingame_timestamp` for LoL, `round_number` for CS).
📖 [Sandbox environment](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/sandbox-environment)
***
## 8. Frequently asked questions
Browse common integration questions, including:
* When will post-game stats be available after a match?
* What is a game advantage?
* Why am I getting a CORS error?
* How do I find player team history?
📖 [FAQ](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/frequently-asked-questions)
***
## 10. Get support
The fastest way to get help is to join our Slack community. Once you're in, we'll set up a private channel for you and your team — it's the best place to ask API questions, flag data issues, and give feedback.
👉 [Join the PandaScore Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/pandascore/shared_invite/zt-3ljcjj4mo-5q0ON2~qdef5umvzqq3mZw)
***
## What's next?
Head to the **[Game Data Reference](https://developers.pandascore.co/docs/plan-reference)** to see exactly which endpoints are available on your plan for Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Valorant.