Soccer Extended API – Estimated Player Return Dates

We've added an estimated_return_date attribute to players in the Season Missing Players endpoint of the Soccer Extended API. This attribute is available in the Soccer Extended API only — it is not part of the standard Soccer API.

This is an optional field — it is only present when a return date is available, so expect it to be absent for some players. Coverage is focused on top leagues. The dates are estimates based on the sources available at the time, and may change as new information comes in.

The value is returned as an ISO 8601 timestamp, though it represents a date only (the time component is always 00:00:00 UTC).

<player id="sr:player:1297412" name="Garner, James" start_date="2026-08-15T14:05:14+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"/>

⭐ Benefit

Show users when injured or doubtful players are expected back, and enrich your availability and injury displays with a projected return timeline.

📋 Recommended Actions

Read the estimated_return_date attribute from players in the Season Missing Players endpoint (Soccer Extended only).
Display it alongside player status and reason to give users a projected return timeline for injured or doubtful players.
Treat the value as an estimate that may change as new information becomes available, and handle cases where it may be absent for players with no confirmed return date.

🔢 Products

Sport	Product	Version(s)
Soccer	Soccer Extended API	v4

☑️ Sample Request:

curl --request GET \
     --url https://api.sportradar.com/soccer-extended/trial/v4/en/seasons/sr:season:140756/missing_players.json \
     --header 'accept: application/json' \
     --header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'

⚙️ Return Samples

<competitors>
    <competitor id="sr:competitor:11" name="Coventry City" abbreviation="COV">
        <players>
            <player id="sr:player:809762" name="Wright, Haji" start_date="2026-08-15T13:54:19+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"/>
            <player id="sr:player:959744" name="Onyeka, Frank" start_date="2026-08-15T13:54:03+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"/>
            <player id="sr:player:1079834" name="Mason-Clark, Ephron Jardell" start_date="2026-08-15T13:53:51+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"/>
            <player id="sr:player:1720482" name="Rudoni, Jack" start_date="2026-08-15T13:54:11+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"/>
        </players>
    </competitor>
    <competitor id="sr:competitor:14" name="Nottingham Forest" abbreviation="NFO">
        <players>
            <player id="sr:player:1984655" name="Savona, Nicolo" start_date="2026-08-15T14:00:32+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"/>
        </players>
    </competitor>
    <competitor id="sr:competitor:17" name="Manchester City" abbreviation="MCI">
        <players>
            <player id="sr:player:844073" name="Rodri" start_date="2026-08-15T14:14:17+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"/>
            <player id="sr:player:1253990" name="Reijnders, Tijjani" start_date="2026-08-15T14:15:27+00:00" reason="other" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"/>
            <player id="sr:player:1297614" name="Doku, Jeremy" start_date="2026-08-17T12:32:46+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"/>
            <player id="sr:player:1560920" name="Nunes, Matheus" start_date="2026-08-17T12:32:33+00:00" reason="injured" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"/>
            <player id="sr:player:2057939" name="Savinho" start_date="2026-08-15T14:15:14+00:00" reason="other" status="doubtful" estimated_return_date="2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"/>
        </players>
    </competitor>
    ...

"competitors": [
    {
        "id": "sr:competitor:11",
        "name": "Coventry City",
        "abbreviation": "COV",
        "players": [
            {
                "id": "sr:player:809762",
                "name": "Wright, Haji",
                "start_date": "2026-08-15T13:54:19+00:00",
                "reason": "injured",
                "status": "doubtful",
                "estimated_return_date": "2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"
            },
            {
                "id": "sr:player:959744",
                "name": "Onyeka, Frank",
                "start_date": "2026-08-15T13:54:03+00:00",
                "reason": "injured",
                "status": "doubtful",
                "estimated_return_date": "2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"
            },
            {
                "id": "sr:player:1079834",
                "name": "Mason-Clark, Ephron Jardell",
                "start_date": "2026-08-15T13:53:51+00:00",
                "reason": "injured",
                "status": "doubtful",
                "estimated_return_date": "2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"
            },
            {
                "id": "sr:player:1720482",
                "name": "Rudoni, Jack",
                "start_date": "2026-08-15T13:54:11+00:00",
                "reason": "injured",
                "status": "doubtful",
                "estimated_return_date": "2026-08-21T00:00:00+00:00"
            }
        ]
    },
    {
        "id": "sr:competitor:14",
        "name": "Nottingham Forest",
        "abbreviation": "NFO",
        "players": [
            {
                "id": "sr:player:1984655",
                "name": "Savona, Nicolo",
                "start_date": "2026-08-15T14:00:32+00:00",
                "reason": "injured",
                "status": "doubtful",
                "estimated_return_date": "2026-08-22T00:00:00+00:00"
            }
        ]
    },
    ...