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 (Italy) commits hardest: 51.1% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie A Italy | 51.1% | 760 |
| 2. Bundesliga Germany | 41.1% | 616 |
| 3. Championship England | 38.1% | 1,113 |
| 4. Premiership Scotland | 33.5% | 466 |
| 5. 1. SNL Slovenia | 33.3% | 249 |
| 6. K League 1 South Korea | 33.2% | 316 |
| 7. Superliga Denmark | 32.6% | 386 |
| 8. J1 League Japan | 32.2% | 612 |
| 9. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 31.7% | 624 |
| 10. First League Bulgaria | 31.2% | 426 |
| 11. HNL Croatia | 30.7% | 355 |
| 12. EFL Trophy England | 29.1% | 254 |
| 13. Super League Switzerland | 29.1% | 364 |
| 14. League One England | 29.1% | 1,114 |
| 15. World Cup - Qualification Europe International | 28.3% | 516 |
| 16. A-League Australia | 26.9% | 294 |
| 17. Serie B Italy | 26.4% | 774 |
| 18. Primeira Liga Portugal | 25.8% | 616 |
| 19. League Two England | 24.9% | 1,108 |
| 20. Superettan Sweden | 24.8% | 222 |
| 21. Bundesliga Austria | 24.7% | 393 |
| 22. Premier League England | 24.1% | 760 |
| 23. UEFA Nations League International | 23.8% | 336 |
| 24. Premier League Russia | 23.4% | 478 |
| 25. Allsvenskan Sweden | 22.1% | 484 |
| 26. Premier League Belarus | 22.1% | 430 |
| 27. NB I Hungary | 21% | 272 |
| 28. Ekstraklasa Poland | 20.9% | 478 |
| 29. Czech Liga Czechia | 20.7% | 610 |
| 30. Ligue 2 France | 20% | 764 |
| 31. First League Russia | 19% | 828 |
| 32. 3. Liga Germany | 18.1% | 756 |
| 33. CONMEBOL Sudamericana International | 17.3% | 202 |
| 34. UEFA Europa League International | 16.9% | 722 |
| 35. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 16.9% | 616 |
| 36. UEFA Champions League International | 16.4% | 348 |
| 37. Ligue 1 France | 16.4% | 764 |
| 38. Euro Championship International | 16.3% | 626 |
| 39. 1. Division Cyprus | 14.9% | 462 |
| 40. Super League 1 Greece | 14.5% | 484 |
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.