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.
Championship (England) commits hardest: 59,8% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Championship England | 59.8% | 1.114 |
| 2. K League 1 Südkorea | 50.7% | 460 |
| 3. Division 1A Belgien | 49.2% | 651 |
| 4. EFL League One England | 49.1% | 1.111 |
| 5. FA Cup England | 46.9% | 258 |
| 6. Fußball-Bundesliga Deutschland | 43.7% | 616 |
| 7. Serie A Italien | 41.7% | 760 |
| 8. Veikkausliiga Finnland | 40.7% | 216 |
| 9. Fotbollsallsvenskan Schweden | 39.5% | 484 |
| 10. Ekstraklasa Polen | 37.3% | 612 |
| 11. Superettan Schweden | 36.9% | 480 |
| 12. Perwenstwo FNL Russland | 35.6% | 752 |
| 13. Segunda Liga Portugal | 35.6% | 570 |
| 14. Football League Trophy England | 35.5% | 245 |
| 15. EFL League Two England | 34.4% | 1.114 |
| 16. Premiership Schottland | 33.8% | 468 |
| 17. Serie B Italien | 33.7% | 780 |
| 18. Super League Schweiz | 33.3% | 360 |
| 19. 3. Fußball-Liga Deutschland | 33% | 706 |
| 20. Superliga Dänemark | 32.4% | 383 |
| 21. Super League China | 31.9% | 360 |
| 22. Ligue 2 Frankreich | 30.6% | 764 |
| 23. J1 League Japan | 29.2% | 760 |
| 24. Ligue 1 Frankreich | 28.7% | 764 |
| 25. Primeira Liga Portugal | 28.3% | 615 |
| 26. Major League Soccer Vereinigte Staaten | 27.6% | 905 |
| 27. UEFA Europa League International | 26.6% | 350 |
| 28. Premjer-Liga Russland | 25.8% | 472 |
| 29. NB I Ungarn | 25.5% | 329 |
| 30. HNL Kroatien | 24.7% | 356 |
| 31. Premier League England | 23.8% | 760 |
| 32. 1. SNL Slowenien | 23.6% | 233 |
| 33. Champions League International | 23% | 435 |
| 34. Premier Soccer League Südafrika | 22.3% | 470 |
| 35. Czech Liga Tschechien | 20.9% | 556 |
| 36. Copa Libertadores International | 20.8% | 307 |
| 37. First League Bulgarien | 20.5% | 444 |
| 38. Eliteserien Norwegen | 20.1% | 482 |
| 39. Super Liga Serbien | 19.6% | 582 |
| 40. Ligat ha’Al Israel | 19.5% | 339 |
Showing every competition. Major competitions only
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.