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 B (Italien) commits hardest: 69,2% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie B Italien | 69.2% | 778 |
| 2. EFL League Two England | 53.6% | 1.112 |
| 3. 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Deutschland | 52.8% | 616 |
| 4. Fußball-Bundesliga Deutschland | 51.3% | 616 |
| 5. Serie A Italien | 49.3% | 760 |
| 6. Premjer-Liga Kasachstan | 49.2% | 262 |
| 7. Czech Liga Tschechien | 48.2% | 552 |
| 8. Premiership Schottland | 45.7% | 468 |
| 9. EFL League One England | 42.6% | 1.113 |
| 10. Division 1A Belgien | 42.5% | 630 |
| 11. Fußball-Bundesliga Österreich | 42.3% | 388 |
| 12. Serie A Women Italien | 38.6% | 228 |
| 13. Veikkausliiga Finnland | 38.6% | 236 |
| 14. Wyschejschaja Liha Belarus | 37.3% | 464 |
| 15. Football League Trophy England | 34.7% | 242 |
| 16. Paulista - A1 Brasilien | 33.7% | 208 |
| 17. Primeira Liga Portugal | 33.3% | 616 |
| 18. Ekstraklasa Polen | 33.3% | 604 |
| 19. Super Liga Slowakei | 33.1% | 384 |
| 20. FA Cup England | 33% | 227 |
| 21. 2. Liga Österreich | 31% | 248 |
| 22. Ligue 1 Frankreich | 30.7% | 616 |
| 23. J1 League Japan | 29.5% | 760 |
| 24. Major League Soccer Vereinigte Staaten | 28.9% | 1.032 |
| 25. HNL Kroatien | 27.7% | 354 |
| 26. 3. Fußball-Liga Deutschland | 26.9% | 746 |
| 27. UEFA Europa League International | 25.7% | 538 |
| 28. UEFA Nations League International | 25.2% | 369 |
| 29. Friendlies Clubs International | 24.9% | 1.177 |
| 30. Segunda Liga Portugal | 23.2% | 596 |
| 31. Eliteserien Norwegen | 22.9% | 484 |
| 32. Fotbollsallsvenskan Schweden | 22.9% | 484 |
| 33. Friendlies International | 22.7% | 352 |
| 34. Superettan Schweden | 22.3% | 475 |
| 35. Perwenstwo FNL Russland | 21.4% | 603 |
| 36. Liga MX Mexiko | 21.3% | 675 |
| 37. Premier Division Irland | 21.2% | 354 |
| 38. Premier League England | 20.5% | 760 |
| 39. Superliga Dänemark | 20.5% | 386 |
| 40. Primera División Peru | 20.3% | 611 |
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.