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 (Italy) commits hardest: 26.5% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie B Italy | 26.5% | 938 |
| 2. League One England | 26.4% | 220 |
| 3. Bundesliga Germany | 25.5% | 611 |
| 4. Serie A Italy | 25.3% | 760 |
| 5. Super League Switzerland | 18% | 306 |
| 6. Premier League England | 17.8% | 760 |
| 7. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 15.2% | 612 |
| 8. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 13.6% | 323 |
| 9. Premier League Russia | 13.3% | 480 |
| 10. Bundesliga Austria | 13.3% | 360 |
| 11. UEFA Champions League International | 11% | 362 |
| 12. UEFA Europa League International | 10.6% | 573 |
| 13. Championship England | 10.2% | 1,112 |
| 14. Allsvenskan Sweden | 9.1% | 274 |
| 15. Premier League Ukraine | 8.7% | 357 |
| 16. Super League 1 Greece | 8.5% | 504 |
| 17. Primera A Colombia | 6.7% | 386 |
| 18. Ligue 1 France | 5.7% | 759 |
| 19. Segunda División Spain | 5.3% | 935 |
| 20. Ligue 2 France | 5.3% | 567 |
| 21. Superliga Denmark | 5% | 436 |
| 22. 2. Liga Austria | 4.7% | 360 |
| 23. La Liga Spain | 4.1% | 760 |
| 24. 1. Lig Türkiye | 3.7% | 456 |
| 25. Liga I Romania | 3.3% | 459 |
| 26. Liga Profesional Argentina Argentina | 3% | 857 |
| 27. Major League Soccer United States | 2.9% | 690 |
| 28. Super League China | 2.4% | 211 |
| 29. A-League Australia | 2.1% | 280 |
| 30. Liga MX Mexico | 1.5% | 668 |
| 31. Eliteserien Norway | 1.3% | 240 |
| 32. Süper Lig Türkiye | 1% | 612 |
| 33. Pro League Saudi Arabia | 0.8% | 364 |
| 34. Serie A Brazil | 0.6% | 482 |
| 35. Eredivisie Netherlands | 0.3% | 624 |
| 36. Primeira Liga Portugal | 0% | 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.