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: 77.8% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie B Italy | 77.8% | 780 |
| 2. Bundesliga Austria | 66.8% | 389 |
| 3. Serie A Italy | 62.4% | 760 |
| 4. Bundesliga Germany | 51.4% | 615 |
| 5. League Two England | 45.4% | 1,087 |
| 6. J1 League Japan | 42.1% | 570 |
| 7. Czech Liga Czechia | 41.9% | 556 |
| 8. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 41.7% | 642 |
| 9. League One England | 41.5% | 1,088 |
| 10. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 41.4% | 616 |
| 11. Super Liga Slovakia | 40.4% | 225 |
| 12. Premiership Scotland | 37.7% | 464 |
| 13. 3. Liga Germany | 37.1% | 746 |
| 14. Ligue 1 France | 36% | 614 |
| 15. Ekstraklasa Poland | 35.8% | 612 |
| 16. Paulista - A1 Brazil | 35.6% | 208 |
| 17. FA Cup England | 35.5% | 217 |
| 18. Premier Division Ireland | 29.9% | 341 |
| 19. Championship England | 29.6% | 1,096 |
| 20. Premier League Belarus | 29.2% | 267 |
| 21. Superliga Denmark | 28.5% | 386 |
| 22. HNL Croatia | 28% | 322 |
| 23. UEFA Europa Conference League International | 27.1% | 722 |
| 24. Primeira Liga Portugal | 26.8% | 613 |
| 25. Super League Switzerland | 26.6% | 459 |
| 26. Segunda Liga Portugal | 25.6% | 399 |
| 27. Veikkausliiga Finland | 25.4% | 338 |
| 28. Premier League Russia | 22.7% | 488 |
| 29. Liga MX Mexico | 22.6% | 673 |
| 30. First League Russia | 22.5% | 383 |
| 31. Liga Pro Ecuador | 22.3% | 609 |
| 32. Major League Soccer United States | 21.9% | 1,080 |
| 33. AFC Champions League Elite International | 21% | 233 |
| 34. UEFA Europa League International | 20.8% | 529 |
| 35. Allsvenskan Sweden | 20.7% | 484 |
| 36. Superettan Sweden | 20.3% | 428 |
| 37. Super League China | 20% | 480 |
| 38. UEFA Champions League International | 19.5% | 554 |
| 39. Ligue 2 France | 19.3% | 618 |
| 40. Süper Lig Türkiye | 18.9% | 609 |
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.