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: 45.3% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie A Italy | 45.3% | 7,660 |
| 2. Serie B Italy | 41% | 8,020 |
| 3. League One England | 40.6% | 8,224 |
| 4. Bundesliga Germany | 40% | 5,570 |
| 5. League Two England | 36.6% | 7,901 |
| 6. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 36.3% | 5,393 |
| 7. EFL Trophy England | 35.7% | 1,349 |
| 8. J1 League Japan | 34.5% | 5,694 |
| 9. Czech Liga Czechia | 33% | 4,006 |
| 10. Premiership Scotland | 32.3% | 3,828 |
| 11. K League 1 South Korea | 32% | 2,774 |
| 12. Bundesliga Austria | 31.6% | 3,896 |
| 13. FA Cup England | 31.5% | 2,034 |
| 14. DFB Pokal Germany | 29% | 1,125 |
| 15. League Cup England | 28.6% | 1,509 |
| 16. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 28.5% | 6,210 |
| 17. Superettan Sweden | 27.7% | 2,645 |
| 18. Championship England | 27.2% | 11,236 |
| 19. Premier League Belarus | 27% | 2,397 |
| 20. First League Russia | 26.9% | 3,928 |
| 21. Veikkausliiga Finland | 26.7% | 2,113 |
| 22. Ekstraklasa Poland | 26.7% | 4,792 |
| 23. Allsvenskan Sweden | 26.2% | 4,768 |
| 24. Superliga Denmark | 25.4% | 4,095 |
| 25. HNL Croatia | 25.3% | 2,338 |
| 26. 3. Liga Germany | 25.1% | 6,029 |
| 27. UEFA Nations League International | 24.6% | 1,291 |
| 28. Friendlies Clubs International | 24.5% | 2,181 |
| 29. Super Liga Slovakia | 24.5% | 2,150 |
| 30. Premier League Russia | 23.4% | 4,906 |
| 31. NB I Hungary | 23% | 1,828 |
| 32. Super League Switzerland | 22.8% | 3,922 |
| 33. Ligue 1 France | 22.2% | 7,014 |
| 34. Segunda Liga Portugal | 21.9% | 3,509 |
| 35. Premier League England | 20.1% | 7,657 |
| 36. Primeira Liga Portugal | 19.9% | 6,220 |
| 37. Friendlies International | 19.7% | 1,899 |
| 38. 1. SNL Slovenia | 19.5% | 1,316 |
| 39. World Cup - Qualification Europe International | 19.3% | 1,024 |
| 40. UEFA Europa Conference League International | 19.2% | 4,400 |
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.