The following formations are used in modern football. The formations are flexible allowing tailoring to the needs of a team, as well as to the players available. Variations of any given formation include changes in positioning of players, as well as replacement of a traditional defender by a
sweeper.
4–4–2 This formation was the most common in football in the 1990s and early 2000s, in which midfielders are required to work hard to support both the defence and the attack: typically one of the central midfielders is expected to go upfield as often as possible to support the forward pair, while the other will play a "holding role", shielding the defence; the two wide midfield players must move up the flanks to the goal line in attacks and yet also protect the full-backs. On the European level, the major example of a team using a 4–4–2 formation was
Milan, trained by
Arrigo Sacchi and later
Fabio Capello, which won three
European Cups, two
Intercontinental Cups, and three
UEFA Super Cups between 1988 and 1995. More recently, commentators have noted that at the highest level, the 4–4–2 is being phased out in favour of formations such as the 4–2–3–1. In 2010, none of the winners of the Spanish, English and Italian leagues, nor the Champions League, relied on the 4–4–2. Following England's elimination at the 2010 World Cup by a 4–2–3–1 Germany side, England national team coach Fabio Capello (who was notably successful with the 4–4–2 at Milan in the 1990s) was criticised for playing an "increasingly outdated" 4–4–2 formation. One reason for the partially discontinued use of the 4–4–2 formation at the highest level of the game is its lack of central dominance against other formations like a 4–3–3, due to having only 2 central midfielders. Being outnumbered in the central area of the pitch makes it more difficult to both obtain and retain the ball against formations that utilize three or more midfielders centrally. To combat these issues, variations of the classic formation have been created, such as the 4–1–2–1–2. However, the 4–4–2 is still regarded as the best formation to protect the whole width of the field with the opposing team having to get past two banks of four and has recently had a tactical revival having recently contributed to
Diego Simeone's
Atlético Madrid,
Carlo Ancelotti's
Real Madrid and
Claudio Ranieri's
Leicester City.
4–4–1–1 A variation of 4–4–2 with one of the strikers playing "in the hole", or as a "
second striker", slightly behind their partner. The second striker is generally a more creative player, the playmaker, who can drop into midfield to pick up the ball before running with it or passing to teammates. The central attacking midfielder is the creative player, responsible for picking up the ball, and distributing the ball wide to its full-backs or providing the two strikers with through balls. When out of possession, the midfield four must drop and assist the defence, while the two strikers must be free for the counter-attack. This tactic was gradually abandoned by Milan after
Andriy Shevchenko's departure in 2006, progressively adopting a "
Christmas tree" formation.
4–1–3–2 The 4–1–3–2 is a variation of the 4–1–2–1–2 and features a strong and talented defensive centre midfielder. This allows the remaining three midfielders to play further forward and more aggressively, and also allows them to pass back to their defensive mid when setting up a play or recovering from a counterattack. The 4–1–3–2 gives a strong presence in the forward middle of the pitch and is considered to be an attacking formation. Opposing teams with fast wingers and strong passing abilities can try to overwhelm the 4–1–3–2 with fast attacks on the wings of the pitch before the three offensive midfielders can fall back to help their defensive line.
Valeriy Lobanovskiy is one of the most famous exponents of the formation, using it with
Dynamo Kyiv, winning three European trophies in the process. Another example of the 4–1–3–2 in use was the England national team at the
1966 World Cup, managed by
Alf Ramsey.
4–3–3 The 4–3–3 was a development of the 4–2–4, and was played by the Brazil national team in the 1962 World Cup, although a 4–3–3 had also previously been used by the Uruguay national team in the 1950 and 1954 World Cups. The extra player in midfield allows a stronger defence, and the midfield could be staggered for different effects. The three midfielders normally play closely together to protect the defence, and move laterally across the field as a coordinated unit. The formation is usually played without wide midfielders. The three forwards split across the field to spread the attack, and may be expected to mark the opposition full-backs as opposed to doubling back to assist their own full-backs, as do the wide midfielders in a 4–4–2. A staggered 4–3–3 involving a defensive midfielder (usually numbered four or six) and two attacking midfielders (numbered eight and ten) was commonplace in Italy, Argentina, and Uruguay during the 1960s and 1970s. The Italian variety of 4–3–3 was simply a modification of WM, by converting one of the two wing-halves to a
libero (sweeper), whereas the Argentine and Uruguayan formations were derived from 2–3–5 and retained the notional attacking centre-half. The national team that made this famous was the Dutch team of the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, even though the team won neither. In club football, the team that brought this formation to the forefront was the famous
Ajax team of the early 1970s, which won three European Cups with
Johan Cruyff, and
Zdeněk Zeman with
Foggia in Italy during the late 1980s, where he completely revitalised the movement supporting this formation. It was also the formation with which Norwegian manager
Nils Arne Eggen won 15
Norwegian league titles. Most teams using this formation now use a specialist
defensive midfielder. Recent famous examples include the Porto and
Chelsea teams coached by
José Mourinho, as well as the Barcelona team under
Pep Guardiola. Mourinho has also been credited with bringing this formation to England in his first stint with Chelsea, and it is commonly used by Guardiola's
Manchester City.
Liverpool manager
Jürgen Klopp employed a high-pressing 4–3–3 formation with dynamic full-backs and a potent front three (
Mohamed Salah,
Sadio Mané,
Roberto Firmino) to win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
4–3–1–2 A variation of the 4–3–3 wherein a striker gives way to a central attacking midfielder. The formation focuses on the attacking midfielder moving play through the centre with the strikers on either side. It is a much narrower setup in comparison to the 4–3–3 and is usually dependent on the
attacking midfielder to create chances. Examples of sides which won trophies using this formation were the
2002–03 UEFA Cup and
2003–04 UEFA Champions League winners Porto under José Mourinho's; and the
2002–03 UEFA Champions League and
2003–04 Serie A-winning Milan team, and
2009–10 Premier League winners Chelsea, both managed by Carlo Ancelotti. This formation was also adopted by
Massimiliano Allegri for the
2010–11 Serie A title-winning season for Milan. It was also the favoured formation of
Maurizio Sarri during his time at Empoli between 2012 and 2015, during which time they won promotion to Serie A and subsequently avoided relegation, finishing 15th in the
2014–15 Serie A season.
4–1–2–3 (right) lining up in a 4–1–2–3 at kick-off in April 2025 The 4–1–2–3 formation is a modern, dynamic system that emphasizes control in midfield, defensive stability, and attacking width. It features a traditional back four, a lone defensive midfielder (CDM), two central midfielders (CMs), and a fluid front three consisting of two wingers and a central striker. This setup allows teams to dominate possession, press effectively, and transition quickly between defense and attack. A real-world example of a team using this system is Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, especially during the 2022–23 continental treble winning season. Guardiola often deployed Rodri as the lone CDM, with De Bruyne and Gündoğan operating as advanced midfielders. Wingers like Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, or Phil Foden provided width, while Erling Haaland spearheaded the attack.
4–3–2–1 (the "Christmas tree" formation) The , commonly described as the "
Christmas tree" formation, has another forward brought on for a midfielder to play "in the hole", so leaving two forwards slightly behind the most forward striker.
Terry Venables and
Christian Gross used this formation during their time in charge of
Tottenham Hotspur. Since then, the formation has lost its popularity in England. It is, however, most known for being the formation Carlo Ancelotti used on-and-off during his time as a coach with Milan to lead his team to win the
2007 UEFA Champions League title. In this approach, the middle of the three central midfielders act as a playmaker while one of the attacking midfielders plays in a free role. However, it is also common for the three midfielders to be energetic shuttlers, providing for the individual talent of the two
attacking midfielders ahead. The "Christmas tree" formation is considered a relatively narrow formation and depends on full-backs to provide presence in wide areas. The formation is also relatively fluid. During open play, one of the side central midfielders may drift to the flank to add additional presence.
4–2–3–1 A flexible formation in prospects to defensive or offensive orientation, as both the wide players and the full-backs may join the attack. In defence, this formation is similar to either the 4–5–1 or 4–4–1–1. It is used to maintain possession of the ball and stop opponent attacks by controlling the midfield area of the field. The lone striker may be very tall and strong to hold the ball up as his midfielders and full-backs join him in attack. The striker could also be very fast. In these cases, the opponent's defence will be forced to fall back early, thereby leaving space for the offensive central midfielder. This formation is used especially when a playmaker is to be highlighted. The variations of personnel used on the flanks in this set-up include using traditional wingers, using
inverted wingers or simply using wide midfielders. Different teams and managers have different interpretations of the 4–2–3–1, but one common factor among them all is the presence of the double pivot. The double pivot is the usage of two holding midfielders in front of the defence. At international level, this formation is used by the
Belgian,
French, Dutch and German national teams in an asymmetric shape, and often with strikers as wide midfielders or inverted wingers. The formation is also currently used by Brazil as an alternative to the 4–2–4 formation of the late 1950s to 1970. Implemented similarly to how the original 4–2–4 was used back then, use of this formation in this manner is very offensive, creating a six-man attack and a six-man defence tactical layout. The front four attackers are arranged as a pair of wide forwards and a
playmaker forward who play in support of a lone striker.
Mário Zagallo also considers the Brazil 1970 football team he coached as pioneers of 4–2–3–1. In recent years, with full-backs having ever more increasing attacking roles, the wide players (be they deep lying forwards, inverted wingers, attacking wide midfielders) have been tasked with the defensive responsibility to track and pin down the opposition full-backs.
Manuel Pellegrini is an avid proponent of this formation, and frequently uses it in the football clubs that he manages. This formation has been very frequently used by managers all over the world in the modern game. One particularly effective use of it was Liverpool under Rafael Benítez, who deployed
Javier Mascherano,
Xabi Alonso and
Steven Gerrard in central midfield, with Gerrard acting in a more advanced role in order to link up with
Fernando Torres, who acted as the central striker. Another notable example at club level is
Bayern Munich under
Jupp Heynckes at his
treble-clinching
2012–13 season.
Mauricio Pochettino,
Jose Mourinho,
Ange Postecoglou and
Arne Slot also use this formation. A high point of the 4–2–3–1 was in the
2006 FIFA World Cup, where
Raymond Domenech's France and
Luiz Felipe Scolari's Portugal used it to great success, with
Marcello Lippi's victorious Italy squad also using a loose variation in a 4–4–1–1.
4–2–2–2 (magic rectangle) Often referred to as the "magic rectangle" or "magic square", this formation was used by France under
Michel Hidalgo at the
1982 World Cup and
Euro 1984, and later by
Henri Michel at the
1986 World Cup and a whole generation, for Brazil with
Telê Santana,
Carlos Alberto Parreira and
Vanderlei Luxemburgo, by
Arturo Salah and
Francisco Maturana in Colombia. The "Magic Rectangle" is formed by combining two box-to-box midfielders with two deep-lying ("hanging") forwards across the midfield. This provides a balance in the distribution of possible moves and adds a dynamic quality to midfield play. This formation was used by former Real Madrid manager
Manuel Pellegrini and met with considerable praise. Pellegrini also used this formation while with
Villarreal and
Málaga. The formation is closely related to a 4–2–4 previously used by
Fernando Riera, Pellegrini's mentor, and that can be traced back to Chile in 1962 who (may have) adopted it from the Frenchman
Albert Batteux at the Stade de Reims of 50s. The 4–2–2–2 with a box midfield was deployed by the
North Carolina Courage of the
NWSL from 2017 to 2021, using a front four with freedom to fluidly switch sides and move wide while served by high-playing fullbacks. The Courage won the league in three consecutive seasons using the formation and the NWSL playoff championship twice, setting season records in wins, points, and goals scored in the process. This formation had been previously used at Real Madrid by Vanderlei Luxemburgo during his failed stint at the club during the latter part of the 2004–05 season and throughout the 2005–06 season. This formation has been described as being "deeply flawed" and "suicidal". Luxemburgo is not the only one to use this although it had been used earlier by Brazil in the early 1980s. At first, Telê Santana, then Carlos Alberto Parreira and Vanderlei Luxemburgo proposed basing the "magic rectangle" on the work of the wing-backs. The rectangle becomes a 3–4–3 on the attack because one of the wing-backs moves downfield. In another sense, the Colombian 4–2–2–2 is closely related to the 4–4–2 diamond of Brazil, with a style different from the French-Chilean trend and is based on the complementation of a box-to box with 10 classic. It emphasises the triangulation, but especially in the surprise of attack. The 4–2–2–2 formation consists of the standard defensive four (right back, two centre backs, and left back), with two centre midfielders, two support strikers, and two out and out strikers. Similar to the 4–6–0, the formation requires a particularly alert and mobile front four to function. The formation has also been used on occasion by the
Brazil national team, notably in the
1998 World Cup final.
4–2–1–3 The somewhat unconventional 4–2–1–3 formation was developed by José Mourinho during his time at Inter Milan. Because of the "closeness" of the midfield, the opposing team's forwards will often be starved of possession. Due to the lone striker, however, the centre of the midfield does have the responsibility of pushing forward as well. The defensive midfielder will often control the pace of the game.
4–6–0 A highly unconventional formation, the 4–6–0 is an evolution of the
4–2–3–1 or
4–3–3 in which the centre forward is exchanged for a player who normally plays as a
trequartista (that is, in the "hole"). Suggested as a possible formation for the future of football, the formation sacrifices an out-and-out striker for the tactical advantage of a mobile front four attacking from a position that the opposition defenders cannot mark without being pulled out of position. Because of the intelligence and pace required by the front four attackers to create and attack any space left by the opposition defenders, however, the formation requires a very skillful and well-drilled front four. Due to these demanding requirements from the attackers, and the novelty of playing without a proper goalscorer, the formation has been adopted by very few teams, and rarely consistently. As with the development of many formations, the origins and originators are uncertain, but arguably the first reference to a professional team adopting a similar formation is
Anghel Iordănescu's
Romania in the 1994 World Cup Round of 16, when Romania won 3–2 against Argentina. The first team to adopt the formation systematically was
Luciano Spalletti's
Roma side during the
2005–06 Serie A season, mostly out of necessity as his "strikerless" formation, and then notably by
Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side that won the
Premier League and
Champions League in
2007–08. The formation was unsuccessfully used by
Craig Levein's
Scotland against Czech Republic to widespread condemnation. At Euro 2012, Spain coach
Vicente del Bosque used the 4–6–0 for his side's 1–1 group stage draw against Italy and their 4–0 win versus Italy in the
final of the tournament.
3–4–3 Using a 3–4–3, the midfielders are expected to split their time between attacking and defending. Having only three dedicated defenders means that if the opposing team breaks through the midfield, they will have a greater chance to score than with a more conventional defensive configuration, such as 4–5–1 or 4–4–2. However, the three forwards allow for a greater concentration on attack. This formation is used by more offensive-minded teams. The formation was famously used by
Liverpool under
Rafael Benítez during the second half of the
2005 UEFA Champions League final to come back from a three-goal deficit. It was also notably used by
Chelsea when they won the Premier League under manager
Antonio Conte in the
2016–17 season and when they won the
2021 UEFA Champions League final under
Thomas Tuchel.
3–5–2 This formation is similar to 5–3–2, but with some important tweaks: there is usually no
sweeper (or
libero) but rather three classic centre-backs, and the two
wing-backs are oriented more towards the attack. Because of this, the most central midfielder tends to remain further back in order to help prevent counter-attacks. It also differs from the classical 3–5–2 of the WW by having a non-staggered midfield. There are several coaches claiming to be the inventors of this formation, like two-time European Cup winning manager and World Cup runner-up
Ernst Happel and the unorthodox and controversial
Nikos Alefantos, but the first to successfully employ it at the highest level was
Carlos Bilardo, who led
Argentina to win the
1986 World Cup using the 3–5–2. The high point of the 3–5–2's influence was the
1990 World Cup, with both finalists, Bilardo's Argentina and
Franz Beckenbauer's
West Germany employing it. After coaching the
Italy national team, Conte used again the 3–5–2 system at Chelsea during the
2016–17 Premier League season, leading the club to the league title and an
FA Cup final. In order to properly counteract the additional forward pressure from the wing-backs in the system, other sides, including
Ronald Koeman's
Everton and
Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham, also used the formation against Chelsea. At international level,
Louis van Gaal utilised 3–5–2 with the
Netherlands in the
2014 World Cup, in which they finished third. Notably, this formation was specifically employed as a counter to the challenge of
possession football used by the
Spanish national side.
Cesare Prandelli used it for Italy's 1–1 draw with Spain in the group stage of
Euro 2012, with some commentators seeing
Daniele De Rossi as a
sweeper. The Netherlands used it to greater effect against Spain during the
group stage of the 2014 World Cup, completing a 5–1 win. This minimised the Dutch weaknesses (inexperience in defence) and maximising their strengths (world-class forwards in
Robin van Persie and
Arjen Robben).
Simone Inzaghi, who succeeded Conte at
Inter in 2021, has helped modernize and further innovate the 3–5–2. Inzaghi's system builds ball possession through the goalkeeper and defenders and uses midfielders who are quick and technical and capable of defending very well. Particularly innovative was his use of side midfielders, called
Quinti ("fifths") such as
Federico Dimarco. Dimarco was used in a very flexible way with defensive duties in the non-possession phase (playing in the defensive line in a 5–3–2 shape), but would shift in the offensive phase. The two midfield sidemen would go up on the line of the attackers forming a four-man attack in a 3–3–4 shape. In three seasons Inter six four trophies along with an appearance in the
2023 UEFA Champions League final.
3–2–4–1 Manager
Pep Guardiola used this formation at times in his time at Manchester City, using one main centre-back and two defensive midfield anchors. It begins as a typical 4–2–3–1 formation, but differs in attack, with the left or right half-back sliding into a defensive midfield position, and a defensive midfielder sliding up to create the "square" in midfield. The formation helped Manchester City to win the
UEFA Champions League for the first time, and the continental
treble in the 2022–23 season. A colorful footnote: Guardiola appears to be a great admirer of classic and historical formations. Just as he translated the 2-3-2-3 (the Metodo) into a modern 4-3-3 during his time in charge of the FC Barcelona, he seems to have translated the historic 3-2-2-3 (the WM system) into this modern 3-2-4-1 when in Manchester City FC.
3–4–1–2 3–4–1–2 is a variant of 3–5–2 where the wingers are more withdrawn in favour of one of the central midfielders being pushed further upfield into the "number 10" playmaker position.
Martin O'Neill used this formation during the early years of his reign as Celtic manager, noticeably taking them to the
2003 UEFA Cup Final.
Portland Thorns used a 3–4–1–2 formation to win the
2017 NWSL championship, withdrawing forward
Christine Sinclair into the playmaker role rather than moving a midfielder up. The Thorns transitioned to a 4–2–3–1 in 2018 after opposing teams countered the 3–4–1–2 with a stronger midfield presence.
3–6–1 This uncommon modern formation focuses on ball possession in the midfield. In fact, it is very rare to see it as an initial formation, as it is more useful for maintaining a lead or a draw. Its more common variants are 3–4–2–1 or 3–4–3 diamond, which use two wing-backs. The lone forward must be tactically gifted, not only because he focuses on scoring but also on assisting with back passes to his teammates. Once the team is leading the game, there is an even stronger tactical focus on ball control, short passes and running down the clock. On the other hand, when the team is losing, at least one of the playmakers will more frequently play on the edge of the area to add depth to the attack.
Steve Sampson (for the
United States at the
1998 World Cup) and
Guus Hiddink (for
Australia at the
2006 World Cup) are two of the few coaches who have used this formation. Hiddink used the 3–3–3–1 formation for the Socceroos as well.
3–3–1–3 The 3–3–1–3 was formed of a modification to the Dutch 4–3–3 system Ajax had developed. Coaches like Louis van Gaal and Johan Cruyff brought it to even further attacking extremes and the system eventually found its way to Barcelona, where players such as
Andrés Iniesta and
Xavi were reared into 3–3–1–3's philosophy. It demands intense pressing high up the pitch especially from the forwards, and also an extremely high defensive line, basically playing the whole game inside the opponent's half. It requires extreme technical precision and rapid ball circulation since one slip or dispossession can result in a vulnerable counter-attack situation. Cruyff's variant relied on a flatter and wider midfield, but Van Gaal used an offensive midfielder and midfield diamond to link up with the front three more effectively.
Marcelo Bielsa has used the system with some success with Argentina and
Chile's national teams, and is currently one of the few high-profile managers to use the system in competition today.
Diego Simeone had also tried it occasionally at
River Plate.
3–3–3–1 The 3–3–3–1 system is a very attacking formation and its compact nature is ideally suited for midfield domination and ball possession. It means a coach can field more attacking players and add extra strength through the spine of the team. The attacking three are usually two
wing-backs or wingers with the central player of the three occupying a central attacking midfield or second striker role behind the
centre forward. The midfield three consists of two centre midfielders ahead of one central defensive midfielder or alternatively one central midfielder and two defensive midfielders. The defensive three can consist of three
centre backs or one centre back with a
full back either side. The 3–3–3–1 formation was used by
Marcelo Bielsa's Chile in the 2010 World Cup, with three centre-backs paired with two wing-backs and a holding player, although a variation is the practical hourglass, using three wide players, a narrow three, a wide three and a centre-forward.
5–2–2–1 The 5–2–2–1 formation in football is a defensive-oriented system with a focus on counter-attacking. It utilizes five defenders, including three center-backs and two wing-backs, two central midfielders, two attacking midfielders or inside forwards, and one striker at the top. The three center-backs provide a solid defensive foundation, while the wing-backs offer width and versatility by pushing
forward to support attacks or dropping back to help in defense. The two central midfielders act as both defensive shields and playmakers, controlling the tempo and transitioning the play from defense to attack. The two attacking
midfielders support the lone striker, often operating in spaces between the opposition’s defense and midfield to create chances. One of the main strengths of this formation is its defensive stability combined with the ability to launch quick counter-attacks through the wing-backs and attacking midfielders. However, it can struggle against teams that overload the midfield, as only two central midfielders are responsible for controlling this area, potentially leaving gaps in ball possession.
5–3–2 This formation has three central defenders, possibly with one acting as a
sweeper. This system merges the winger and full-back positions into the
wing-back, whose job it is to work their flank along the full length of the pitch, supporting both the defence and the attack. At club level, the 5–3–2 was famously employed by
Helenio Herrera in his
Inter Milan side of the 1960s and 1970s, influencing many other Italian teams of the era. The
Brazil team which won the
2002 FIFA World Cup also employed this formation with their wing-backs
Cafu and
Roberto Carlos two of the best known proponents of this position.
5–4–1 This is a particularly defensive formation, with an isolated forward and a packed defence. Again, however, a couple of attacking
full-backs can make this formation resemble something like a 3–6–1. One of the most famous cases of its use is the
Euro 2004-winning
Greek national team. ==Incomplete formations==