World Cup formations, explained: A look at how coaches are setting up their squads

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — It’s number-crunching time when it comes to formations at the World Cup.

Every team starts with a goalkeeper in front of the net, but then it’s up to the 48 coaches to try to arrange their lineups to optimize their players and match up effectively with opponents.

On paper, the lists may look more like area codes, phone numbers or lottery combinations: 4-4-2, 5-3-2, 4-2-3-1 and so on.

But it’s all about how coaches set up their 10 field players, with some of them focusing more on attacking, others on containing a tough opponent or maybe trying to capitalize on the talent of a star player.

Coaches tend to have preferred formations, but it’s not unusual for them to change them depending on opponents or even during matches to secure a lead or reverse a deficit. Coaches frequently start a match with one scheme and finish it with another.

Here’s a look at the nine formations used in the opening matches of World Cup group play, according to FIFA’s match reports, and what they mean:

Four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards.

That was used by 12 of the 48 teams involved in the first 24 matches at the World Cup. But it produced only two wins — by Scotland over Haiti and Ivory Coast over Ecuador. It also matched the 3-4-3 scheme with the most losses, four.

Brazil, Uruguay and co-host Canada were among the teams using the formation that theoretically promotes a balanced squad with a focus on solid defending by keeping the lines compact.

It was a traditional formation in recent decades, along with the 4-3-3 and 5-3-2, until coaches began experimenting with more daring alternatives.

Four defenders, two defensive midfielders, three attacking midfielders and one striker.

The formation has become common in modern soccer, with two holding midfielders protecting the back line and three more offensive players taking care of the transition toward the central striker.

Ten teams used the design so far, with the United States, England, France and Austria winning their matches.

Four defenders, one defensive midfielder, two midfielders and three forwards.

This formation and the 4-2-3-1 had the most wins, with four each.

It's a slight change from the above, with an extra player in the offensive phase. Mexico, Norway, Ghana and Colombia used it to win their openers.

Eight teams used the scheme, which has two wingers and a central striker up front ahead of the three-piece midfield. It’s a more offensive formation, with only one defensive midfielder.

Title favorites Spain and the Netherlands also used the formation.

Three central defenders, four midfielders and three forwards.

Seven teams used the formation that promotes a balance between defense and offense around a solid midfield.

Only two teams won — South Korea and Germany, which scored the most goals so far with a 7-1 rout of Curacao.

Four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.

Among the five teams using the formation was Lionel Messi's Argentina, and it helped him score three goals in a 3-0 win over Algeria.

It was the only team that won with the traditional formation, with three midfielders feeding the two side forwards and the striker up front.

It was used by one of the World Cup's most famous squads — Brazil's 1970 team led by Pelé.

Argentina won the 2022 World Cup with that formation.

Five defenders, three midfielders and two forwards.

There were no winners among the three teams that used the formation, which puts emphasis on the back line but has the two fullbacks changing into wingers in the offensive phase.

South Africa and Tunisia lost, but it was good enough for Congo to manage a surprising 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.

It was also a traditional scheme for decades.

Five defenders, two midfielders and three forwards.

Only the Czech Republic, which lost to South Korea, used the formation in which the two fullbacks also work up toward the midfield, depending on the phase of the game.

Five defenders, four midfielders and one striker.

Australia picked up a win against Turkey with the formation that focuses on defense first, with nine players between the back line and the midfield.

Three central defenders, four midfielders, one attacking midfielder and two forwards.

Sweden used the formation in its 5-1 win over Tunisia. The design has an attacking midfielder playing in between the midfield and the forwards to try to promote an easier transition from defense to offense.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Colombia's Luis Diaz (7), left, scores his side's second goal during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Uzbekistan and Colombia in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa (1) fails a headed goal by Congo's Yoane Wissa (20) during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Congo in Houston, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Smith)

England's Harry Kane (9) scores during the World Cup Group L soccer match between England and Croatia in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

Austria's Romano Schmid scores his side's opening goal against Jordan during the World Cup Group J soccer match in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) shoots and scores their third goal against Algeria's Riyad Mahrez (7) and Nabil Bentaleb (19) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — New Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel wanted to change Justin Herbert’s footwork, so he has taken the football out of his star quarterback’s hands for parts of the offseason program.

While it might seem counterintuitive, McDaniel believes Herbert can better focus on learning those adjustments when not throwing.

“To change it, and in one offseason, make it something that’s in the unconscious that you’re not thinking about where you have to think about a lot of other things, you really have to take an intentional attack on it. So I think he understood the extreme measures,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel is teaching Herbert to lead with his non-dominant left foot, with the right-handed passer having put his right foot forward when first handling the football in each of his previous six seasons in the NFL.

McDaniel initially took notice of the off-foot technique as an assistant to Kyle Shanahan with Houston in 2007. Brett Favre had been using it throughout his Hall of Fame career, and Tom Brady adopted it for the 2007 season when he threw 50 touchdowns passes, setting a then single-season league record that has since been broken.

Shanahan, who was the Texans quarterbacks coach at the time, and McDaniel extensively studied the possible benefits in the approach before adopting it, including when they continued worked together in Washington and San Francisco. McDaniel also took it to Miami when he was the Dolphins head coach for four seasons until being fired in January, leading the left-handed Tua Tagovailoa to start with his right foot forward.

“You have your pros and cons for anything that you do from a technique perspective, but having the non-throwing-hand foot forward, there was some advantages that I kind of lean toward. By the time we got to Washington (in 2010), we started training quarterbacks that way,” McDaniel said.

With McDaniel installing a quicker passing game that emphasizes allowing receivers to accumulate yards after catch, the tweak in footwork is intended to maximize the timing Herbert needs to get the most out of those opportunities.

“I kind of look at it like you’re trying to find the margins where you can improve, and you have a quarterback of high achievement like Justin, who wants to make gains in this game. You find the most margin that you can improve upon, and identifying that, and it being shorter time throws and footwork, there’s a necessity to really focus on footwork from the ground up,” McDaniel said.

That meant asking Herbert to spend portions of organized team activities working with a large green exercise ball instead of a football. He also ceded throws in 7-on-7s and other periods to backups Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei, leaving Herbert to simulate drop-backs.

McDaniel’s aim was to put the emphasis on process rather than result.

“It’s as simple as where your focus is, and when you don’t watch a ball go, you don’t attribute any emotions toward, ‘Oh, that was a good throw. Oh, that was a bad throw.’ You only can really lean into one thing, and that’s the footwork that you’re doing. And if you make that the end-all, be-all — at the quarterback position, you have 900 things to think about — and in a short period of time, you can really master it to where you’re not thinking about it at all,” McDaniel said.

Herbert was receptive to the request to change his footwork, having spent his college career at Oregon operating in a neutral stance with his feet placed evenly.

As for the reduction in passing, Herbert accepted it, a minor surprise given his past insistence on getting lots of extra throws in before and after practices. Herbert said the new approach is as much about making sure his arm is fresh when the Chargers get to the stretch run of the season as mastering the new footwork.

“I’ve thrown a lot of footballs, and it’s May and June, and I didn’t think it was as necessary to throw as much now. I’m doing everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down, and the throws, they’ll be there,” Herbert said.

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Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, right, drags a mat next to quarterback Justin Herbert during the NFL football team's practice, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterbacks Justin Herbert (10) and DJ Uiagalelei (7) walk during the NFL football team's practice, Monday, June 8, 2026, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert runs a drill during the NFL football team's practice, Monday, June 8, 2026, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)