Unless you are some geeks who sees data and gets excited, you are obviously looking for football analytics software that you can use for betting. That’s the perfect step that every football bettor takes if they want to take things seriously.
After all, do you know what’s the secret for accurately predicting football matches? Data! And nothing else. The more you know the clearer picture you’ll have, and the better betting choice you will make. However, even though we live in a digital space where you can find just about anything online, it is really hard to collect and process all of that football data. This means you’ll need software.
Football software is great for processing large piles of data and giving you a percent chance, possibility, or likelihood of a certain event happening. In other words, you will basically use machine learning and in some cases AI to find a possible betting option with the biggest chance of winning some money.
Sounds exciting, right? So, before you download the first result that appears on Google, let’s go through some of the best football analytic tools that every nerdy football fan or bettor uses.
1. Opta
Opta is without a doubt one of the most popular tools often used by football nerds and bettors. Have you heard a commentator drop some obscure fact like “Mbappe has sprinted for 11.2 km and completed 93.7% of his passes” – well, in most cases, they are using Opta.
Opta tracks just about everything that happens on the pitch: passes, tackles, dribbles, shots – you name it. It’s a massive resource used by broadcasters, teams, and – lucky for us – fans. Whether you’re planning to engage in sports betting online at Bovada or you just want to confirm your favorite player is as good as you think, Opta has you covered.
What Makes It Great?
- Tracks over 300 stats per match
- Data available for most major leagues
- Used by professionals, so you know it’s legit
Did You Know? Opta started way back in 1996 and now covers over 30 sports! But football? That’s their bread and butter.
2. StatsBomb
If Opta is your go-to for basic stats, StatsBomb is where you go when you’re ready to go full geek mode. This tool specializes in super-detailed data, like tracking “pressures” or “expected threat” (xT), which measures the likelihood a play leads to a goal. And, if you’re wondering why on Earth, you’d need all this? Well, coaches and scouts use it to break down their opponents to the smallest detail, and fans can use it to analyze team strategies and player efficiency.
StatsBomb’s deep analytics can help you see why a team dominates possession but somehow never scores—or how a player who never seems to shoot still contributes to attacking plays.
Why You Need It:
- Advanced stats like xG (Expected Goals) and xT
- Used by professional teams like Liverpool and Barcelona
- Great for tactical analysis
3. FBref
FBref is the Wikipedia of football analytics – except it’s packed with data instead of random trivia. This platform gives you access to stats for leagues all over the world, including player stats, team performances, and league tables. What sets it apart is its easy-to-navigate interface.
You don’t need to be a data scientist to use FBref. Whether you’re checking out a player’s career progression or seeing how your team stacks up against rivals, FBref has what you need. Plus, they offer expected goals (xG) data for free, which is a huge deal for the football analytics world.
Why It Rocks:
- Free to use!
- Easy to understand for beginners
- Covers leagues worldwide
Pro Tip: Start tracking players’ xG (expected goals) to get an idea of who’s underperforming or overperforming in front of the net.
4. Tableau
Alright, this one’s for the data visualization geeks. Tableau isn’t a football-specific tool, but it’s widely used to create stunning, interactive data dashboards. If you’re serious about building your own football insights – whether it’s for tracking players, creating scouting reports, or even just impressing your friends with fancy charts – Tableau is the way to go.
Football enthusiasts use Tableau to turn raw stats into easy-to-read visualizations, from heatmaps showing where players spend most of their time on the pitch to graphs comparing players’ performance across different metrics. If you love graphs and want to analyze match data like a pro, this is your playground.
Why You Should Care:
- Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface for data visualizations
- Can visualize any kind of football data
- Great for creating your own dashboards
Did You Know? Some of the best visualizations of football data on Twitter are made using Tableau. If you’re feeling ambitious, try replicating one yourself!
5. Wyscout
For those dreaming of being a scout or manager, Wyscout is your virtual scouting handbook. This platform gives you access to a massive database of match videos and player stats from leagues around the globe. It’s often used by clubs to scout new talent, but fans can also use it to deep dive into player and team performance, betting, and even Fantasy sports.
Wyscout provides all sorts of data: from a player’s speed and distance covered to technical attributes like passing and dribbling. If you’ve ever wondered how professional clubs break down game tape or evaluate a potential transfer target, Wyscout is where that magic happens.
