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World Football Matches Dataset
Sports & Recreation
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About
This dataset provides a detailed collection of international men's full football results, spanning from the very first official match in 1872 up to 2025. It includes over 47,000 matches, encompassing a range of tournaments from the FIFA World Cup to friendly matches. The data was meticulously gathered to create an accessible list of international football outcomes, specifically excluding Olympic Games, B-team, U-23, or league select team matches.
Columns
The dataset is structured across four main CSV files:
- results.csv
date: The date when the match was played.home_team: The name of the home team.away_team: The name of the away team.home_score: The full-time score of the home team, including extra time but excluding penalty shoot-outs.away_score: The full-time score of the away team, including extra time but excluding penalty shoot-outs.tournament: The name of the tournament in which the match was played.city: The city, town, or administrative unit where the match took place.country: The country where the match was played.neutral: A TRUE/FALSE indicator specifying whether the match was held at a neutral venue.
- shootouts.csv
date: The date of the match.home_team: The name of the home team.away_team: The name of the away team.winner: The team that won the penalty shoot-out.first_shooter: The team that commenced the shoot-out.
- goalscorers.csv
date: The date of the match.home_team: The name of the home team.away_team: The name of the away team.team: The name of the team whose player scored the goal.scorer: The name of the player who scored the goal.own_goal: A flag indicating if the goal was an own goal.penalty: A flag indicating if the goal was a penalty kick.
- former_names.csv
current: The current name of the team (or its last known name if it no longer exists).former: A previous name used by the team.start_date: The start date when the former name was in use.end_date: The end date when the former name was in use.
Distribution
The dataset comprises 47,917 international football results, structured across multiple CSV files as detailed above. It is anticipated to receive monthly updates. The
former_names.csv file, for instance, contains 34 unique entries for past team names.Usage
This dataset is ideal for various analytical applications, including:
- Determining the best football teams across different eras.
- Analysing trends in international football, such as home advantage, total goals scored, or changes in team strength distribution.
- Investigating geopolitics through football fixtures, by observing shifts in the number of participating countries or frequent matchups between nations.
- Assessing the impact of hosting major tournaments on a country's performance.
- Examining the strategies and effects of friendly matches on teams.
Coverage
The dataset covers international men's full football matches globally, with data from 1872 up to 2025. It specifically focuses on official matches and does not include Olympic Games or matches involving national B-teams, U-23 teams, or league select teams. For team names, the current name of the team is used consistently to facilitate historical tracking. Conversely, for country names, the name of the country at the time of the match is employed.
License
CC0: Public Domain
Who Can Use It
- Sports analysts and statisticians looking to perform in-depth analysis of international football outcomes.
- Football historians and researchers interested in the historical evolution and trends within the sport.
- Data scientists and enthusiasts aiming to build models, create visualisations, or explore patterns in football data.
- Journalists and media professionals seeking data-driven insights for reporting on football.
Dataset Name Suggestions
- International Football Match Results (1872-2025)
- Global Men's Full International Football Data
- Historic International Football Fixtures & Outcomes
- World Football Matches Dataset
Attributes
Original Data Source: World Football Matches Dataset
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