Where does 4-4-2 survive?
Share of line-ups still set out as 4-4-2 — a shape that has halved across the majors since 2016.
Segunda Liga (Portugal) keeps the faith: 62% of its line-ups are still 4-4-2.
| League | 4-4-2 | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Segunda Liga Portugal | 62% | 213 |
| 2. Premier Soccer League South Africa | 61.6% | 250 |
| 3. La Liga Spain | 38.3% | 760 |
| 4. Copa del Rey Spain | 33.8% | 210 |
| 5. Superliga Denmark | 28.4% | 482 |
| 6. Liga MX Mexico | 26.7% | 550 |
| 7. Segunda División Spain | 25.7% | 905 |
| 8. Primeira Liga Portugal | 23.9% | 610 |
| 9. 3. Liga Germany | 23.5% | 618 |
| 10. Liga Profesional Argentina Argentina | 23.3% | 536 |
| 11. Super League China | 22.6% | 464 |
| 12. League Two England | 20.7% | 720 |
| 13. Ekstraklasa Poland | 19.9% | 582 |
| 14. CONMEBOL Sudamericana International | 19.9% | 206 |
| 15. CONMEBOL Libertadores International | 19% | 294 |
| 16. AFC Champions League Elite International | 18.8% | 288 |
| 17. First League Bulgaria | 18% | 366 |
| 18. Premiership Scotland | 17.4% | 356 |
| 19. 1. Lig Türkiye | 17.1% | 328 |
| 20. FA Cup England | 16.9% | 295 |
| 21. UEFA Champions League International | 16.7% | 420 |
| 22. Premier League England | 16.2% | 760 |
| 23. Czech Liga Czechia | 15.9% | 508 |
| 24. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 14.6% | 452 |
| 25. Super League Switzerland | 14.6% | 364 |
| 26. UEFA Europa League International | 14.1% | 1,022 |
| 27. Liga I Romania | 13.9% | 467 |
| 28. Premier League Egypt | 13.5% | 466 |
| 29. 2. Liga Austria | 13% | 208 |
| 30. Ligue 2 France | 12.7% | 560 |
| 31. Eliteserien Norway | 12.5% | 480 |
| 32. Ligue 1 France | 12% | 558 |
| 33. League One England | 11.7% | 796 |
| 34. A-League Australia | 11.5% | 296 |
| 35. Primera División Peru | 11% | 554 |
| 36. Pro League Saudi Arabia | 9.9% | 446 |
| 37. Championship England | 8.8% | 1,114 |
| 38. Allsvenskan Sweden | 8.3% | 482 |
| 39. Premier League Russia | 7.9% | 470 |
| 40. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 7.7% | 612 |
Showing every competition. Major competitions only
Exact formation as recorded. Variants such as 4-4-1-1 count separately.