> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.thesports.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.thesports.com/help-center/football/description-of-placeholder-team.md).
# Description of 'placeholder team'
### **What is a 'placeholder team'?**
For some matches, the participating teams are determined by the winner of a previous round. If the previous round has not been completed, the participating teams are not yet known.
To publish the match schedule in advance, TheSports uses a 'placeholder team' as the home or away team until the actual team is determined.
### **Which competitions use 'placeholder teams'?**
Some popular or high-level competitions use 'placeholder teams' for matches whose participating teams have not yet been determined. The FIFA Club World Cup is one example.
Other competitions do not publish the match schedule until all participating teams have been confirmed.
### **How to identify a 'placeholder team'**
#### 1. `virtual` field in [**Team**](/thesports-docs/basic-info/team.md) API endpoint
The `virtual` field is provided to identify whether a team is a placeholder team.
If `virtual: 1`, it means this team is a placeholder team.
#### 2. `name` field in **Team** API endpoint
The team name usually indicates that it is a placeholder.
For example:
* `A1` indicates the team that finishes in first place in Group A.
* `Winner of SF1` indicates the winner of the first semifinal.
Because placeholder names vary by competition and match round, TheSports cannot provide a complete list of all possible placeholder team names.
#### **Example**
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final is an example.
As of February 18, 2025, the participating teams had not yet been determined, so the match used placeholder teams for both the home and away teams.
---
# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.
## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:
```
GET https://docs.thesports.com/help-center/football/description-of-placeholder-team.md?ask=&goal=
```
`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.