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 B (Italy) commits hardest: 69.2% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie B Italy | 69.2% | 778 |
| 2. League Two England | 53.6% | 1,112 |
| 3. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 52.8% | 616 |
| 4. Bundesliga Germany | 51.3% | 616 |
| 5. Serie A Italy | 49.3% | 760 |
| 6. Premier League Kazakhstan | 49.2% | 262 |
| 7. Czech Liga Czechia | 48.2% | 552 |
| 8. Premiership Scotland | 45.7% | 468 |
| 9. League One England | 42.6% | 1,113 |
| 10. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 42.5% | 630 |
| 11. Bundesliga Austria | 42.3% | 388 |
| 12. Serie A Women Italy | 38.6% | 228 |
| 13. Veikkausliiga Finland | 38.6% | 236 |
| 14. Premier League Belarus | 37.3% | 464 |
| 15. EFL Trophy England | 34.7% | 242 |
| 16. Paulista - A1 Brazil | 33.7% | 208 |
| 17. Primeira Liga Portugal | 33.3% | 616 |
| 18. Ekstraklasa Poland | 33.3% | 604 |
| 19. Super Liga Slovakia | 33.1% | 384 |
| 20. FA Cup England | 33% | 227 |
| 21. 2. Liga Austria | 31% | 248 |
| 22. Ligue 1 France | 30.7% | 616 |
| 23. J1 League Japan | 29.5% | 760 |
| 24. Major League Soccer United States | 28.9% | 1,032 |
| 25. HNL Croatia | 27.7% | 354 |
| 26. 3. Liga Germany | 26.9% | 746 |
| 27. UEFA Europa League International | 25.7% | 538 |
| 28. UEFA Nations League International | 25.2% | 369 |
| 29. Friendlies Clubs International | 24.9% | 1,177 |
| 30. Segunda Liga Portugal | 23.2% | 596 |
| 31. Eliteserien Norway | 22.9% | 484 |
| 32. Allsvenskan Sweden | 22.9% | 484 |
| 33. Friendlies International | 22.7% | 352 |
| 34. Superettan Sweden | 22.3% | 475 |
| 35. First League Russia | 21.4% | 603 |
| 36. Liga MX Mexico | 21.3% | 675 |
| 37. Premier Division Ireland | 21.2% | 354 |
| 38. Premier League England | 20.5% | 760 |
| 39. Superliga Denmark | 20.5% | 386 |
| 40. Primera División Peru | 20.3% | 611 |
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.