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 A (Italy) commits hardest: 45.4% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie A Italy | 45.4% | 7,796 |
| 2. Premier League Kazakhstan | 44.7% | 1,198 |
| 3. Serie B Italy | 41.2% | 8,160 |
| 4. League One England | 40.6% | 8,414 |
| 5. Bundesliga Germany | 40.1% | 5,678 |
| 6. League Two England | 36.6% | 8,107 |
| 7. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 36.1% | 5,481 |
| 8. EFL Trophy England | 35.2% | 1,464 |
| 9. J1 League Japan | 34.8% | 5,830 |
| 10. Czech Liga Czechia | 33.3% | 4,100 |
| 11. Premiership Scotland | 32% | 3,900 |
| 12. Bundesliga Austria | 31.8% | 3,968 |
| 13. FA Cup England | 31.5% | 2,034 |
| 14. K League 1 South Korea | 30.4% | 3,028 |
| 15. DFB Pokal Germany | 29.2% | 1,157 |
| 16. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 28.4% | 6,318 |
| 17. Premier Division Ireland | 28.4% | 1,188 |
| 18. League Cup England | 28.3% | 1,545 |
| 19. Premier League Belarus | 28.2% | 2,646 |
| 20. Championship England | 27.1% | 11,410 |
| 21. Superettan Sweden | 26.9% | 2,929 |
| 22. First League Russia | 26.8% | 4,044 |
| 23. Ekstraklasa Poland | 26.8% | 4,900 |
| 24. Veikkausliiga Finland | 26.3% | 2,337 |
| 25. Allsvenskan Sweden | 25.7% | 5,041 |
| 26. Superliga Denmark | 25.6% | 4,165 |
| 27. 3. Liga Germany | 25.1% | 6,189 |
| 28. HNL Croatia | 24.9% | 2,398 |
| 29. Super Liga Slovakia | 24.5% | 2,160 |
| 30. Friendlies Clubs International | 24.5% | 2,181 |
| 31. UEFA Nations League International | 23.7% | 1,499 |
| 32. Premier League Russia | 23% | 5,000 |
| 33. Super League Switzerland | 22.9% | 3,988 |
| 34. Ligue 1 France | 22.3% | 7,118 |
| 35. NB I Hungary | 22.3% | 1,888 |
| 36. Segunda Liga Portugal | 21.9% | 3,577 |
| 37. Premier League England | 20.1% | 7,775 |
| 38. Primeira Liga Portugal | 19.8% | 6,308 |
| 39. 1. SNL Slovenia | 19.5% | 1,316 |
| 40. World Cup - Qualification Europe International | 19.3% | 1,024 |
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.