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.
League One (England) commits hardest: 56.4% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. League One England | 56.4% | 1,112 |
| 2. Serie A Italy | 53.4% | 762 |
| 3. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 50.5% | 656 |
| 4. Championship England | 44.6% | 1,113 |
| 5. K League 1 South Korea | 43.5% | 464 |
| 6. Bundesliga Germany | 42.7% | 616 |
| 7. Czech Liga Czechia | 41.6% | 558 |
| 8. Ekstraklasa Poland | 41.3% | 612 |
| 9. J1 League Japan | 39.9% | 612 |
| 10. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 39.5% | 615 |
| 11. Veikkausliiga Finland | 37.1% | 272 |
| 12. FA Cup England | 36.8% | 288 |
| 13. First League Russia | 35.6% | 595 |
| 14. UEFA Nations League International | 35.5% | 324 |
| 15. Premier League Russia | 34.7% | 473 |
| 16. Ligue 1 France | 33.9% | 750 |
| 17. League Two England | 33.6% | 1,112 |
| 18. Eliteserien Norway | 33.1% | 484 |
| 19. Premiership Scotland | 32.6% | 463 |
| 20. First League Bulgaria | 32% | 556 |
| 21. Serie B Italy | 30.8% | 777 |
| 22. Superettan Sweden | 28.7% | 467 |
| 23. UEFA Europa League International | 28% | 347 |
| 24. Ligue 2 France | 27.3% | 758 |
| 25. Super Liga Slovakia | 27.2% | 386 |
| 26. 3. Liga Germany | 27.1% | 756 |
| 27. NB I Hungary | 26.4% | 269 |
| 28. Allsvenskan Sweden | 26.2% | 484 |
| 29. Primeira Liga Portugal | 26.1% | 616 |
| 30. Ligat Ha'al Israel | 25% | 344 |
| 31. Segunda Liga Portugal | 24.9% | 558 |
| 32. UEFA Champions League International | 24.9% | 426 |
| 33. Superliga Denmark | 23.7% | 376 |
| 34. Primera División Chile | 23.3% | 476 |
| 35. Bundesliga Austria | 23.1% | 390 |
| 36. Premier League Egypt | 22.7% | 612 |
| 37. Liga I Romania | 21.9% | 620 |
| 38. Eerste Divisie Netherlands | 21.6% | 760 |
| 39. Super League Switzerland | 21.5% | 358 |
| 40. HNL Croatia | 21.4% | 360 |
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.