How it works
20+ shapes · 400+ squads20+ shapes in the picker
Every formation you would name, plus the variants nobody remembers the digits for, all from one menu.
Change shape without starting over
Go from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 and your players come with you, each one reassigned to the nearest role. Try ten shapes in a row, nothing resets.
Then move people by hand
Slide players between positions, or on and off the bench, until the shape sits where you pictured it. Off the preset slots the formation reads as Custom, which is a shape too.
Take the shape with you
Download the image of any formation, or copy a link that reopens the same shape with the same players standing in it.
What each shape does
And the rest of the 20+ in the pickerThe formations people reach for most, and the job each one is really doing on the pitch.
4-3-3
Three forwards, width high up the pitch and a midfield three to feed them. The default for sides that want to press and attack down the flanks.
4-2-3-1
A double pivot screening the back four, a ten free to create, a lone striker ahead. Deadly on the counter, which is why so much of the modern top flight lives here.
3-5-2
Three center backs, a wing back on each touchline, two up top. It defends like a 5-3-2 and pours forward like a 3-3-2-2, all from the same starting shape.
4-4-2
Two banks of four and a strike pairing up front. Nothing fancy, easy to drill, and brutal against a team that leaves gaps.
4-1-2-1-2
The diamond: a ten on top of a holding six. You concede the wings to win the middle of the park.
5-3-2
The cautious cousin of the 3-5-2, wing backs sitting deeper to make a back five. The shape you pick to frustrate a better side or see out a lead.
Formation builder FAQ
How many formations are there?
20+ preset shapes, including the 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 5-3-2, 3-4-3, the diamond and a long list of variants.
Can I build a formation that is not in the list?
Yes. Take any preset and drag players where you want them. Once they leave the preset slots the formation reads as Custom, and a share link carries those positions exactly as you left them.
What happens to my players when I switch shapes?
They follow you. Change the formation and each player slots into the nearest role automatically, so you tidy up from there instead of rebuilding.
Can I play fewer than eleven a side?
On the web every formation is an eleven, and any position can be left empty. Lineup format, in the free app, takes a lineup from 2 to 11 players, so seven a side or futsal gets the same treatment.
Can I send a shape to my players or coaches?
Yes. Download the image, or copy a link that reopens the exact formation and players on whatever device they open it on.
The web builder and the app
The web builder
Free · In your browserNothing to install, no account. It remembers the last team you opened.
The full toolkit
iOS & AndroidEverything in the web builder, plus:
More ways to build
About the football formation builder
The MyLineups formation builder is free and runs in your browser. It carries 20+ preset formations, from the 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2, 5-3-2, 3-4-3 and the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond, on any of 400+ real clubs and national teams. Switching shape keeps your players and moves each one to the nearest role, and dragging them off the preset slots leaves a custom shape that a share link preserves. Download exports the formation as an image; Copy link reopens it on any device. Lineup format, in the free app, also takes a side from 2 to 11 players.
Lineup format takes a side from 2 to 11 players, Team colors paints it in your own, and Player info fills in the rest of the sheet.