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.
Division 1A (Belgien) commits hardest: 49,5% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Division 1A Belgien | 49.5% | 622 |
| 2. EFL League One England | 48.5% | 1.113 |
| 3. Serie A Italien | 47.4% | 760 |
| 4. 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Deutschland | 46.2% | 613 |
| 5. Fußball-Bundesliga Deutschland | 44.6% | 616 |
| 6. Czech Liga Tschechien | 44.4% | 556 |
| 7. Serie B Italien | 44.4% | 780 |
| 8. Premiership Schottland | 44% | 468 |
| 9. EFL League Two England | 41% | 1.113 |
| 10. Fußball-Bundesliga Österreich | 40.9% | 389 |
| 11. Eliteserien Norwegen | 40.3% | 484 |
| 12. Veikkausliiga Finnland | 39.3% | 267 |
| 13. Football League Trophy England | 39.2% | 227 |
| 14. Superliga Dänemark | 39% | 385 |
| 15. Primeira Liga Portugal | 38% | 616 |
| 16. K League 1 Südkorea | 37.1% | 464 |
| 17. NB I Ungarn | 35.6% | 390 |
| 18. Superettan Schweden | 34.3% | 469 |
| 19. UEFA Europa League International | 33.5% | 349 |
| 20. Ekstraklasa Polen | 31.7% | 602 |
| 21. FA Cup England | 31.7% | 278 |
| 22. J1 League Japan | 31.1% | 611 |
| 23. Ligue 1 Frankreich | 31.1% | 615 |
| 24. Wyschejschaja Liha Belarus | 31% | 400 |
| 25. Perwenstwo FNL Russland | 26.7% | 599 |
| 26. Segunda Liga Portugal | 26.3% | 537 |
| 27. Super Liga Slowakei | 25.7% | 385 |
| 28. Fotbollsallsvenskan Schweden | 24.5% | 482 |
| 29. Thai League Thailand | 23.8% | 395 |
| 30. Friendlies Clubs International | 23.4% | 898 |
| 31. FA WSL England | 23.3% | 240 |
| 32. Major League Soccer Vereinigte Staaten | 22.9% | 1.041 |
| 33. Championship England | 22.4% | 1.114 |
| 34. 3. Fußball-Liga Deutschland | 21.6% | 756 |
| 35. Premjer-Liga Russland | 21.3% | 488 |
| 36. Super Liga Serbien | 20.6% | 588 |
| 37. Friendlies International | 20.3% | 354 |
| 38. Copa Libertadores International | 19.9% | 301 |
| 39. Liga Pro Ecuador | 19.5% | 466 |
| 40. Super League China | 19.2% | 480 |
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.