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Why is the players field empty in MatchTimeline?

In the Data Feed, although the Match message schema includes a players field, player lineups are often unpopulated or empty in pre-match MatchTimeline snapshots before an event begins. This happens because final player rosters, stand-ins, or recent transfers are frequently unconfirmed until the match is about to start or goes live.To reliably determine who is playing at each stage of a match, you should use the following approach:

  1. For pre-match / upcoming matches:
  2. Call the TeamProfile unary endpoint using the team's URN.
  3. Read the current_map_roster_by_sport (or players) field to view the team's expected roster on file.
  4. For live matches:
  5. Connect to the LiveDataFeed stream.
  6. Active map states deliver exact, real-time player identifiers and nicknames for that specific map (e.g. CS2PlayerMapState or Dota2PlayerInfoState).

Always prioritize players received via the LiveDataFeed stream over pre-match TeamProfile rosters. Stand-ins or last-minute player substitutions are only guaranteed to be reflected once the live data stream begins.