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: 53.4% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie A Italy | 53.4% | 762 |
| 2. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 50.5% | 656 |
| 3. Championship England | 44.6% | 1,113 |
| 4. K League 1 South Korea | 43.5% | 464 |
| 5. Bundesliga Germany | 42.7% | 616 |
| 6. Ekstraklasa Poland | 41.3% | 612 |
| 7. J1 League Japan | 39.9% | 612 |
| 8. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 39.5% | 615 |
| 9. FA Cup England | 36.8% | 288 |
| 10. UEFA Nations League International | 35.5% | 324 |
| 11. Premier League Russia | 34.7% | 473 |
| 12. Ligue 1 France | 33.9% | 750 |
| 13. Eliteserien Norway | 33.1% | 484 |
| 14. Premiership Scotland | 32.6% | 463 |
| 15. Serie B Italy | 30.8% | 777 |
| 16. UEFA Europa League International | 28% | 347 |
| 17. Ligue 2 France | 27.3% | 758 |
| 18. Allsvenskan Sweden | 26.2% | 484 |
| 19. Primeira Liga Portugal | 26.1% | 616 |
| 20. UEFA Champions League International | 24.9% | 426 |
Showing the major competitions. Include every competition
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.