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: 50.5% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie B Italy | 50.5% | 200 |
| 2. J1 League Japan | 44.7% | 380 |
| 3. Ekstraklasa Poland | 27.2% | 224 |
| 4. UEFA Europa League International | 22.7% | 242 |
| 5. Major League Soccer United States | 22.1% | 968 |
| 6. UEFA Champions League International | 20.9% | 287 |
| 7. Liga I Romania | 20.2% | 218 |
| 8. Liga MX Mexico | 19.2% | 266 |
| 9. UEFA Europa Conference League International | 18% | 522 |
| 10. UEFA Nations League International | 17.8% | 208 |
| 11. Allsvenskan Sweden | 17.3% | 423 |
| 12. Serie A Brazil | 16.5% | 655 |
| 13. K League 1 South Korea | 15.2% | 396 |
| 14. Segunda División Spain | 15.1% | 258 |
| 15. Championship England | 14.3% | 307 |
| 16. Liga Profesional Argentina Argentina | 13.8% | 934 |
| 17. CONMEBOL Sudamericana International | 13.5% | 312 |
| 18. CONMEBOL Libertadores International | 13.4% | 284 |
| 19. Super League China | 12.9% | 435 |
| 20. Pro League Saudi Arabia | 11.9% | 202 |
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.