Magic MCP vs Api Football
A side-by-side look at the Magic MCP and Api Football MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Magic MCP for architecture & design work as a local process; choose Api Football for sports as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Magic MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY, API_KEY_21ST.
Choose Api Football when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Sports domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You want tools like
fixtures, standings, team_search.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Architecture & Design | Sports |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 56/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | API key required |
| Pricing | Paid service | BYOK (pay the provider) |
| Required env vars | TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEYAPI_KEY_21ST | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 6,209 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 16 views 1 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 9 |
| Full listing | View Magic MCP | View Api Football |
Tools & capabilities
Magic MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Api Football tools 9
fixturesGet match fixtures (upcoming + recent) by league, team, or date. Use league=1 for FIFA World Cup, league=39 for EPL, league=140 for La Liga. Returns kickoff, teams, score (if played), venue, status.standingsCurrent standings table for a league. Returns rank, team, points, goal difference, form. Use league=1 for World Cup.team_searchLook up a team by name + country to get its team_id for use in other tools.league_searchLook up a league/tournament/competition by name to get its league_id.predictionsAPI-Football's own match-outcome predictions. Returns home/draw/away win probabilities, advice, h2h context, form. Use for "who will win" research on specific fixtures.football_injuriesCurrently injured and unavailable football players for a club or a league — who is out, the injury or reason, and whether they are ruled out or merely doubtful. Covers Serie A, the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and other competitions worldwide. Use for questions about which playe…football_squadThe current player squad for a football club — every player with shirt number, position, age and nationality. Use for questions about who plays for a club, squad lists, and a team roster.h2hHead-to-head record between two teams. Returns last N matches with scores.api_football_statusAPI-Football account status for the key in use: subscription plan name, whether it is active and when it ends, requests used today against the daily limit, and the per-minute limit the vendor reports in its rate-limit headers. The vendor does not count this call against the quota. Use it to tell a…
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Magic MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"21st-dev-magic-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@21st-dev/cli@latest"
],
"env": {
"TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY": "YOUR_TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY_HERE",
"API_KEY_21ST": "YOUR_API_KEY_21ST_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Api Football
{
"mcpServers": {
"api-football": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-api-football"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Magic MCP is categorized under Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Api Football belongs to Sports and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Magic MCP for architecture & design work and Api Football for sports.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Magic MCP is listed as a paid service. Auth: api key required. Api Football is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add 21st-dev-magic-mcp and api-football as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Magic MCP has a quality signal of 53/100 (Good) with 16 views, 1 installs and 6,209 GitHub stars. Api Football has 56/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.