# Participants, Teams & Players

This guide explains how participants, teams, and players are defined in TRADE, so you can accurately work with fixture data across different sports.

### **Participant**

In TRADE, a participant is any entity that directly competes in a fixture. The participant can be either a team (e.g., Manchester City in football) or an individual (e.g., Rafael Nadal in tennis). The `participant id` always refers to the entity playing directly under the fixture—this can be a team or, in individual sports, a player. For example:

* In football, the participants are the two teams.
* In tennis, the participants are the two players.

### **Team**

A team is a specific type of participant representing a group of players competing together (e.g., Real Madrid in football). In team sports, the team is the participant, and its `participant id` is the team id. Teams can have multiple players associated with them.

### **Player**

A player is an individual entity who plays under a team in team sports. Players are not considered participants themselves in the context of the fixture—they are linked to a team (participant) and are referenced in player markets or lineups. For example:

* In football, Harry Kane is a player for the participant (team) Bayern Munich.
* In tennis, there are no "players" under a team; the tennis player is the participant.

**Key Clarification**

* In individual sports (like tennis), the participant is always the player, and there is no team or player entity under the participant.
* In team sports, the participant is the team, and players are entities under the team, used for lineups and player-specific markets.