Shape Library
Football formations, shape variants, and comparison pages for coaches
Use this public formation hub to study the structure behind common shapes, compare high-intent pairs, and jump into the board when you want to present or adapt the idea.
Explore single formations
Every formation page gives you the shape, a plain-language description, nearby alternatives, and a direct route into the board.
Formation
3-1-4-2
Three defenders with a single CDM, wide midfield, and two strikers
Formation
3-4-1-2
Three center backs, four midfielders, one attacking mid, and two strikers
Formation
3-4-2-1
Three defenders, flat four midfield, two attacking mids behind a lone striker
Formation
3-5-2
Three center backs with attacking wing backs and a midfield diamond
Formation
3-4-3
Three defenders, four midfielders, and a front three
Formation
4-1-2-1-2
Diamond midfield with a holding mid at the base and attacking mid at the tip
Formation
4-1-2-1-2 (2) Narrow
Narrow diamond with interior CMs instead of wide midfielders
Formation
4-1-3-2
Single holding midfielder with a flat three and two strikers
Formation
4-1-4-1
Holding midfielder screens the defense while four midfielders support a lone striker
Formation
4-2-1-3
Double pivot with an attacking midfielder and front three
Formation
4-2-2-2
Double pivot with two wide attacking mids and two strikers
Formation
4-2-3-1
Double pivot with three attacking mids and a lone striker
Formation
4-2-3-1 (2) Wide
Double pivot with wide midfielders and a central attacking mid behind the striker
Formation
4-2-4
Two central midfielders supporting four forwards
Formation
4-3-1-2
Three midfielders with a CAM behind two strikers
Formation
4-3-2-1 (Christmas Tree)
Narrow formation tapering toward goal like a Christmas tree
Formation
4-3-3
Balanced formation with wide attackers and strong midfield presence
Formation
4-3-3 (2) CDM
Three-man midfield with a deeper CDM flanked by two advanced CMs
Formation
4-3-3 (3) Twin CDM
Two holding mids flanking a more advanced CM behind the front three
Formation
4-3-3 (4) CAM
Three-man midfield with an advanced CAM flanked by two deeper CMs
Formation
4-4-1-2
Three wide mids plus a CAM forming the attacking band, two strikers up front
Formation
4-4-2
Classic flat four midfield with two strikers
Formation
4-4-2 (2) Holding Mids
Flat four with two defensive midfielders replacing the interior CMs
Formation
4-5-1
Packed five-man midfield with wide mids and three central mids, lone striker
Formation
4-5-1 (2) Three CMs
Wide mids flanking three central midfielders, lone striker up front
Formation
5-2-1-2
Five-man defense with wing backs, double pivot, a CAM, and two strikers
Formation
5-2-3
Five-man backline with two central midfielders and a front three
Formation
5-3-2
Defensive five-back with a midfield three and two strikers
Formation
5-4-1
Very defensive five-back with a flat four midfield and lone striker
Start with curated comparison pages
These are the highest-intent formation matchups for coaches who want to explain tradeoffs instead of just listing player lines.
4-3-3 vs 4-4-2
Compare a wide front-three structure against the classic flat-four midfield to understand width, pressing angles, and midfield occupation.
4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3
See how the double pivot and central 10 differ from a three-midfield structure when you need balance between security and front-line support.
3-5-2 vs 4-4-2
Use this comparison to highlight wing-back height, central overloads, and the tradeoff between a back three and a flat back four.
4-1-4-1 vs 4-2-3-1
Contrast a single-pivot structure with a double-pivot setup to coach defensive cover, rest defense, and support around the striker.
Turn any formation page into a board sequence
Open the FC Tactix board when you want to adapt the shape, animate the detail, or present the idea to players and staff.