Glossary · Formations
Football formations glossary
A quick reference to the most common football formations. Every entry here maps to a preset the MyLineups builder supports, so you can go from the definition straight to a real lineup.
- 3-1-4-2
A back three with a single defensive midfielder, a line of four and two strikers. Hybrid between the 3-5-2 and the 3-4-3: the four-man line gives extra width while the 1 anchors in front of the back three.
- 3-4-3
Three centre-backs, two wing-backs forming part of a midfield four, plus a front three. Very attacking shape that often morphs into a 3-2-5 when the wing-backs push up.
- 3-5-2
Three centre-backs, two wing-backs and a midfield three behind a two-striker partnership. Turns into a 5-3-2 defensively when the wing-backs drop in.
- 4-1-4-1
Back four, a single defensive midfielder, a flat line of four attacking midfielders and a lone striker. A compact block that easily becomes a 4-3-3 when the wide midfielders push up.
- 4-2-2-2
Back four, a double pivot, two tucked-in attacking midfielders (sometimes called the Magic Square) and two strikers. Very narrow and reliant on overlapping full-backs for width.
- 4-2-3-1
Back four, a double pivot, a band of three attacking midfielders and a lone striker. One of the most used formations in modern football thanks to its balance.
- 4-3-2-1 (Christmas tree)
Back four, a midfield three and two attacking midfielders behind a lone striker. Nicknamed the Christmas tree because of its tapered shape and strong central presence.
- 4-3-3
Back four, a midfield three and a front three. The most popular attacking modern shape, built around width from inverted wingers and central overloads from the number eight.
- 4-4-2
Back four, two banks of four in defence and midfield, and a two-striker partnership. Simple, balanced and still very common at youth, amateur and international level.
- 4-4-2 diamond
A back four, a diamond midfield four (a 6 at the base, two eights on the sides and a ten at the tip) and two strikers. Trades width for central dominance.
- 5-3-2
The defensive face of the 3-5-2. Five players form the back line and three midfielders hold central areas in front of them. Common as a low block shape.
- 5-4-1
A deep back five, a flat midfield four and a lone striker. The classic low-block formation, used to absorb pressure and break on the counter.
Every formation listed here can be picked inside the MyLineups lineup builder . If you need to scale a formation to fewer than eleven players per side, the builder lets you go down to 2 players while keeping the chosen shape.
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Turn a formation name into a real lineup
Pick any formation above, load a real team in the builder and export your XI as an image or share link.