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.
Jupiler Pro League (Belgium) commits hardest: 49.5% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 49.5% | 622 |
| 2. Serie A Italy | 47.4% | 760 |
| 3. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 46.2% | 613 |
| 4. Bundesliga Germany | 44.6% | 616 |
| 5. Serie B Italy | 44.4% | 780 |
| 6. Premiership Scotland | 44% | 468 |
| 7. Bundesliga Austria | 40.9% | 389 |
| 8. Eliteserien Norway | 40.3% | 484 |
| 9. Superliga Denmark | 39% | 385 |
| 10. Primeira Liga Portugal | 38% | 616 |
| 11. K League 1 South Korea | 37.1% | 464 |
| 12. UEFA Europa League International | 33.5% | 349 |
| 13. Ekstraklasa Poland | 31.7% | 602 |
| 14. FA Cup England | 31.7% | 278 |
| 15. J1 League Japan | 31.1% | 611 |
| 16. Ligue 1 France | 31.1% | 615 |
| 17. Allsvenskan Sweden | 24.5% | 482 |
| 18. Major League Soccer United States | 22.9% | 1,041 |
| 19. Championship England | 22.4% | 1,114 |
| 20. Premier League Russia | 21.3% | 488 |
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.