Who plays three at the back?
Share of line-ups set out with three defenders — the shape that has grown faster than any other in the archive.
Serie A (Italien) commits hardest: 51,1% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie A Italien | 51.1% | 760 |
| 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Deutschland | 41.1% | 616 |
| 3. Championship England | 38.1% | 1.113 |
| 4. Premiership Schottland | 33.5% | 466 |
| 5. K League 1 Südkorea | 33.2% | 316 |
| 6. Superliga Dänemark | 32.6% | 386 |
| 7. J1 League Japan | 32.2% | 612 |
| 8. Division 1A Belgien | 31.7% | 624 |
| 9. HNL Kroatien | 30.7% | 355 |
| 10. Super League Schweiz | 29.1% | 364 |
| 11. A-League Men Australien | 26.9% | 294 |
| 12. Serie B Italien | 26.4% | 774 |
| 13. Primeira Liga Portugal | 25.8% | 616 |
| 14. Fußball-Bundesliga Österreich | 24.7% | 393 |
| 15. Premier League England | 24.1% | 760 |
| 16. UEFA Nations League International | 23.8% | 336 |
| 17. Premjer-Liga Russland | 23.4% | 478 |
| 18. Fotbollsallsvenskan Schweden | 22.1% | 484 |
| 19. Ekstraklasa Polen | 20.9% | 478 |
| 20. Ligue 2 Frankreich | 20% | 764 |
Showing the major competitions. Include every competition
Any formation whose first line is a three. The provider records a formation for roughly a quarter of line-ups, so a league appears only once enough of its matches carry one.