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. League One England | 48.5% | 1,113 |
| 3. Serie A Italy | 47.4% | 760 |
| 4. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 46.2% | 613 |
| 5. Bundesliga Germany | 44.6% | 616 |
| 6. Czech Liga Czechia | 44.4% | 556 |
| 7. Serie B Italy | 44.4% | 780 |
| 8. Premiership Scotland | 44% | 468 |
| 9. League Two England | 41% | 1,113 |
| 10. Bundesliga Austria | 40.9% | 389 |
| 11. Eliteserien Norway | 40.3% | 484 |
| 12. Veikkausliiga Finland | 39.3% | 267 |
| 13. EFL Trophy England | 39.2% | 227 |
| 14. Superliga Denmark | 39% | 385 |
| 15. Primeira Liga Portugal | 38% | 616 |
| 16. K League 1 South Korea | 37.1% | 464 |
| 17. NB I Hungary | 35.6% | 390 |
| 18. Superettan Sweden | 34.3% | 469 |
| 19. UEFA Europa League International | 33.5% | 349 |
| 20. Ekstraklasa Poland | 31.7% | 602 |
| 21. FA Cup England | 31.7% | 278 |
| 22. J1 League Japan | 31.1% | 611 |
| 23. Ligue 1 France | 31.1% | 615 |
| 24. Premier League Belarus | 31% | 400 |
| 25. First League Russia | 26.7% | 599 |
| 26. Segunda Liga Portugal | 26.3% | 537 |
| 27. Super Liga Slovakia | 25.7% | 385 |
| 28. Allsvenskan Sweden | 24.5% | 482 |
| 29. Thai League 1 Thailand | 23.8% | 395 |
| 30. Friendlies Clubs International | 23.4% | 898 |
| 31. FA WSL England | 23.3% | 240 |
| 32. Major League Soccer United States | 22.9% | 1,041 |
| 33. Championship England | 22.4% | 1,114 |
| 34. 3. Liga Germany | 21.6% | 756 |
| 35. Premier League Russia | 21.3% | 488 |
| 36. Super Liga Serbia | 20.6% | 588 |
| 37. Friendlies International | 20.3% | 354 |
| 38. CONMEBOL Libertadores International | 19.9% | 301 |
| 39. Liga Pro Ecuador | 19.5% | 466 |
| 40. Super League China | 19.2% | 480 |
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.