# How-to build your World Cup application
## How to build your World Cup 2026 application with Sportmonks’ Football Data
Welcome to our step-by-step guide on building an application for the 2026 FIFA World Cup using Sportmonks’ football data. As the biggest football tournament in the world, the World Cup 2026 promises thrilling matches featuring top teams like Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, France, and England. With our comprehensive football data, you can create a powerful, engaging app for your users.
In this guide, we'll cover the following key aspects of building your World Cup 2026 application:
* Full season schedule
* (live) Standings
* Team squads
* Season topscorers
Before we dive in, please ensure you have access to the World Cup 2026 league data (League ID: 732). This access is crucial for retrieving and displaying the relevant data.
### **Retrieving the full season schedule**
To begin, you’ll want to display the complete World Cup 2026 schedule, including group stages and knockout rounds. The challenge is that knockout games aren’t determined until later in the tournament. Our API simplifies this by using a property called `is_placeholder` on both fixture and team responses.
**How it works:**
* The `is_placeholder` property helps you identify if a fixture is a placeholder (i.e., dummy data) or finalised.
* This property is a boolean (`true` or `false`). If `is_placeholder` is `false`, the data is final. The fixture ID will remain consistent even when real data replaces placeholder data.
You can use the [GET Schedule by Season ID](https://docs.sportmonks.com/football2/endpoints-and-entities/endpoints/schedules/get-schedules-by-season-id) endpoint with the includes to retrieve all the stages with the fixtures and the teams involved:
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Request" %}
```javascript
https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/schedules/seasons/26618?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN
```
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
Response (2026 data)
```javascript
{
"data": [
{
"id": 77478590,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"type_id": 223,
"name": "Group Stage",
"sort_order": 1,
"finished": false,
"is_current": false,
"starting_at": "2026-06-11",
"ending_at": "2026-06-28",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"tie_breaker_rule_id": null,
"rounds": [
{
"id": 395361,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"name": "1",
"finished": false,
"is_current": false,
"starting_at": "2026-06-11",
"ending_at": "2026-06-18",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"fixtures": [
{
"id": 19609149,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253030,
"aggregate_id": null,
"round_id": 395361,
"state_id": 1,
"venue_id": 72372,
"name": "England vs Croatia",
"starting_at": "2026-06-17 20:00:00",
"result_info": null,
"leg": "1/1",
"details": "Match 22",
"length": 90,
"placeholder": false,
"has_odds": false,
"has_premium_odds": false,
"starting_at_timestamp": 1781726400,
"participants": [
{
"id": 18645,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 462,
"venue_id": 1315,
"gender": "male",
"name": "England",
"short_code": "ENG",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/21/18645.png",
"founded": 1863,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-11-16 17:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "home",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
},
{
"id": 18588,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 266,
"venue_id": 176,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Croatia",
"short_code": "CRO",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/28/18588.png",
"founded": 1912,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2026-03-26 23:30:00",
"meta": {
"location": "away",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
}
],
"scores": []
},
{
"id": 19609161,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253026,
"aggregate_id": null,
"round_id": 395361,
"state_id": 1,
"venue_id": 78531,
"name": "Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay",
"starting_at": "2026-06-15 22:00:00",
"result_info": null,
"leg": "1/1",
"details": "Match 13",
"length": 90,
"placeholder": false,
"has_odds": false,
"has_premium_odds": false,
"starting_at_timestamp": 1781560800,
"participants": [
{
"id": 15251,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 158,
"venue_id": 10900,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Uruguay",
"short_code": "URU",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/19/15251.png",
"founded": 1900,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2021-07-03 22:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "away",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
},
{
"id": 18562,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 35376,
"venue_id": 1503,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Saudi Arabia",
"short_code": "KSA",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/2/18562.png",
"founded": 1956,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-12-18 11:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "home",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
}
],
"scores": []
},
{
"id": 19609158,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253023,
"aggregate_id": null,
"round_id": 395361,
"state_id": 1,
"venue_id": 21827,
"name": "Germany vs Curacao",
"starting_at": "2026-06-14 17:00:00",
"result_info": null,
"leg": "1/1",
"details": "Match 10",
"length": 90,
"placeholder": false,
"has_odds": false,
"has_premium_odds": false,
"starting_at_timestamp": 1781456400,
"participants": [
{
"id": 18660,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 11,
"venue_id": 1944,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Germany",
"short_code": "GER",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/4/18660.png",
"founded": 1900,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-11-17 19:45:00",
"meta": {
"location": "home",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
},
{
"id": 18910,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 7437,
"venue_id": 331170,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Curacao",
"short_code": "CUW",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/30/18910.png",
"founded": null,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2026-03-27 06:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "away",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
}
],
"scores": []
},
{
"id": 19609159,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253024,
"aggregate_id": null,
"round_id": 395361,
"state_id": 1,
"venue_id": 1583,
"name": "Ukr/Swe/Pol/Alb vs Tunisia",
"starting_at": "2026-06-15 02:00:00",
"result_info": null,
"leg": "1/1",
"details": "Match 12",
"length": 90,
"placeholder": true,
"has_odds": false,
"has_premium_odds": false,
"starting_at_timestamp": 1781488800,
"participants": [
{
"id": 279099,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 99474,
"venue_id": null,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Ukr/Swe/Pol/Alb",
"short_code": null,
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/team_placeholder.png",
"founded": null,
"type": "domestic",
"placeholder": true,
"last_played_at": null,
"meta": {
"location": "home",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
},
{
"id": 18554,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 1439,
"venue_id": 343603,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Tunisia",
"short_code": "TUN",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/26/18554.png",
"founded": 1957,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2026-01-03 19:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "away",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
}
],
"scores": []
},
{
"id": 19609131,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253021,
"aggregate_id": null,
"round_id": 395361,
"state_id": 1,
"venue_id": 21826,
"name": "Brazil vs Morocco",
"starting_at": "2026-06-13 22:00:00",
"result_info": null,
"leg": "1/1",
"details": "Match 7",
"length": 90,
"placeholder": false,
"has_odds": false,
"has_premium_odds": false,
"starting_at_timestamp": 1781388000,
"participants": [
{
"id": 18704,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 5,
"venue_id": 392,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Brazil",
"short_code": "BRA",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/16/18704.png",
"founded": 1914,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2026-03-26 20:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "home",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
},
{
"id": 18551,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 1424,
"venue_id": 1679,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Morocco",
"short_code": "MAR",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/23/18551.png",
"founded": 1955,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2026-01-18 19:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "away",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
}
],
"scores": []
},
{
"id": 19609133,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253022,
"aggregate_id": null,
"round_id": 395361,
"state_id": 1,
"venue_id": 343444,
"name": "United States vs Paraguay",
"starting_at": "2026-06-13 01:00:00",
"result_info": null,
"leg": "1/1",
"details": "Match 4",
"length": 90,
"placeholder": false,
"has_odds": false,
"has_premium_odds": false,
"starting_at_timestamp": 1781312400,
"participants": [
{
"id": 18571,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 3483,
"venue_id": 11566,
"gender": "male",
"name": "United States",
"short_code": "USA",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/11/18571.png",
"founded": 1913,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-11-19 00:00:00",
"meta": {
"location": "home",
"winner": null,
"position": null
}
},
//and more!
```
### **Displaying season standings**
Next, you’ll want to show the group standings as teams progress through the tournament. The group stages and participating teams for World Cup 2026 will be available, and you can access this data using our standings endpoint.
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Request" %}
```javascript
https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/standings/seasons/26618?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=participant;group
```
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
Response
```javascript
{
"data": [
{
"id": 278170,
"participant_id": 279102,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253029,
"round_id": 395361,
"standing_rule_id": 134588,
"position": 1,
"result": null,
"points": 0,
"participant": {
"id": 279102,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 99474,
"venue_id": null,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Ncl/Jam/Cod",
"short_code": null,
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/team_placeholder.png",
"founded": null,
"type": "domestic",
"placeholder": true,
"last_played_at": null
},
"group": {
"id": 253029,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"name": "Group K",
"starting_at": "2026-06-17",
"ending_at": "2026-06-27",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"is_current": false,
"finished": false,
"pending": false
}
},
{
"id": 278194,
"participant_id": 18644,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253028,
"round_id": 395361,
"standing_rule_id": 134588,
"position": 1,
"result": null,
"points": 0,
"participant": {
"id": 18644,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 44,
"venue_id": 6569,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Argentina",
"short_code": "ARG",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/20/18644.png",
"founded": 1893,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-11-14 16:00:00"
},
"group": {
"id": 253028,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"name": "Group J",
"starting_at": "2026-06-17",
"ending_at": "2026-06-28",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"is_current": false,
"finished": false,
"pending": false
}
},
{
"id": 278185,
"participant_id": 18694,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253024,
"round_id": 395361,
"standing_rule_id": 134588,
"position": 1,
"result": null,
"points": 0,
"participant": {
"id": 18694,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 38,
"venue_id": 154,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Netherlands",
"short_code": "NED",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/6/18694.png",
"founded": 1889,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-11-17 19:45:00"
},
"group": {
"id": 253024,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"name": "Group F",
"starting_at": "2026-06-14",
"ending_at": "2026-06-25",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"is_current": false,
"finished": false,
"pending": false
}
},
{
"id": 278177,
"participant_id": 18645,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253030,
"round_id": 395361,
"standing_rule_id": 134588,
"position": 1,
"result": null,
"points": 0,
"participant": {
"id": 18645,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 462,
"venue_id": 1315,
"gender": "male",
"name": "England",
"short_code": "ENG",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/21/18645.png",
"founded": 1863,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-11-16 17:00:00"
},
"group": {
"id": 253030,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"name": "Group L",
"starting_at": "2026-06-17",
"ending_at": "2026-06-27",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"is_current": false,
"finished": false,
"pending": false
}
},
{
"id": 278181,
"participant_id": 18660,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253023,
"round_id": 395361,
"standing_rule_id": 134588,
"position": 1,
"result": null,
"points": 0,
"participant": {
"id": 18660,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 11,
"venue_id": 1944,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Germany",
"short_code": "GER",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/4/18660.png",
"founded": 1900,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2025-11-17 19:45:00"
},
"group": {
"id": 253023,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"name": "Group E",
"starting_at": "2026-06-14",
"ending_at": "2026-06-25",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"is_current": false,
"finished": false,
"pending": false
}
},
{
"id": 278153,
"participant_id": 18576,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"group_id": 253019,
"round_id": 395361,
"standing_rule_id": 134588,
"position": 1,
"result": null,
"points": 0,
"participant": {
"id": 18576,
"sport_id": 1,
"country_id": 458,
"venue_id": 14659,
"gender": "male",
"name": "Mexico",
"short_code": "MEX",
"image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/teams/16/18576.png",
"founded": 1927,
"type": "national",
"placeholder": false,
"last_played_at": "2026-02-26 02:00:00"
},
"group": {
"id": 253019,
"sport_id": 1,
"league_id": 732,
"season_id": 26618,
"stage_id": 77478590,
"name": "Group A",
"starting_at": "2026-06-11",
"ending_at": "2026-06-25",
"games_in_current_week": false,
"is_current": false,
"finished": false,
"pending": false
}
},
```
{% hint style="success" %}
In our World Cup 2026 all-in package, you'll also have access to[ **live standings**](https://football-postman.sportmonks.com/#841ae829-a8eb-408d-8436-2654ba7bd120)**,** which update in real-time as matches are played.
{% endhint %}
### Accessing t**eam squads**
After gathering the schedule and standings, displaying the participating teams’ squads and their players adds a personal touch to your app.
The easiest way to request this is to use our GET Team by Season ID.
```javascript
https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/teams/seasons/26618?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN
```
Of course, if you want the teams separately you can use the [team squad by team and season id endpoint](https://football-postman.sportmonks.com/#3a8dcebc-5484-4f54-88ed-7ccaeff4a2a6).
### **Identifying the topscorers**
Tracking top scorers is essential for any World Cup application. Fans are always interested in who’s leading in goals, assists, and cards.
You can use the topscorers by season endpoint: [GET Topscorers by Season id](https://docs.sportmonks.com/v3/endpoints-and-entities/endpoints/topscorers/get-topscorers-by-season-id).
```javascript
https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/topscorers/seasons/26618?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN
```
This request provides a basic response with player IDs. To get detailed information, such as player and team names, use the `include` parameter like this:
```javascript
https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/topscorers/seasons/26618?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=type;player
```
We want the player and team names and not just their player ID. We can do this for all three top scorers, which are:
* Goalscorers → players who have scored a goal
* Assistscorers → players who gave assists
* Cardscorers → players who have received yellow or red cards
So how do we know which topscorer belongs to which type? We use the include type. So we could for example request everything:
### E**nhance your application**
Beyond the basic data, you can enrich your World Cup 2026 application with detailed match, team, player, and season statistics. By combining these elements, you can create a dynamic and interactive experience for your users.
Do you have any questions? Just[ contact our team](https://www.sportmonks.com/contact-support/) with any questions or concerns.