7v7 Soccer Formations – The Definitive Guide

Maybe you are a new coach, maybe your team has moved from 5v5 or 4v4 to 7 a-side soccer or maybe you just need some inspiration. In either case, you have found the most comprehensive guide to 7v7 soccer formations online today.

I will walk you through every single formation that I have ever seen used.

Remember that no formation is “the best formation”, it all depends on what you want to achieve with it and the group of players that you are working with.

Another important point is that if you choose to change formation, it will take more time for the players to learn a new formation and its roles in 7v7 soccer than simpler forms like 4v4 or 5v5.

Below I have compiled a list with links to the specific 7v7 formations if you want to jump straight into it, although I recommend reading the paragraphs after the jump links. Especially if you are new to coaching the information there will be useful.

7v7 soccer formations

Neutral 7v7 formations

• 2-3-1
• 2-2-2
• 2-1-2-1
• 1-4-1
• 1-2-2-1
• 3-3

Defensive 7v7 formations

• 3-2-1
• 3-1-2
• 4-1-1
• 3-1-1-1

Attacking 7v7 formations

• 1-1-3-1
• 1-3-2
• 1-2-3
• 1-1-2-2
• 2-1-3

7v7 as a steppingstone into the full game

As with every youth soccer setup, 7 a-side can be considered a steppingstone for bigger tasks. In most countries kids play 7v7 for a couple of years before they move on to 9v9 and then a couple of years there before 11v11, which is the full game.

I think that it is good for a coach to have some thought as to how he wants the team to play 11v11 as early as possible. If you have an idea about this, you can use 7v7 formations to train the positions and the position specific skills that is needed in 11v11 soccer.

From simple to more complex

In the years before starting to play 7v7, the players normally play a simpler form of football where they try to develop their basic soccer skills. Some places they play 4v4 without a goalkeeper, for example in the US, and in some countries, they play 5v5 soccer with a goalkeeper.

For a coach taking his team to a more complex form of soccer with more players on a larger field, there are some important things to keep in mind.

First it is obvious that more kids on the field means that the players have more to think about and process during a game. Second, a bigger field means that they must run more. Keep this in mind and be patient with the kids in the beginning.

Use your players strengths

You should always look at the composition of your group of players before you choose a formation.

Maybe you have a player that is quick enough and strong enough to play alone as a defender?

Or maybe you have a few players that have good pace and stamina and will be fantastic wingers?

Or maybe you don’t have any of these. Either way, you have to take the strengths (and weaknesses) of your players into account when choosing a 7v7 soccer formation.

Result oriented coaches

I have always felt that many coaches focus too much on results with younger players.

Of course, it is fun to win, and the team should try to win when they play a match, but the main focus should be on player development, social development and personal development for the players.

By creating a development-oriented culture, you as a team win in the long run. If you want some more information on youth soccer coaching, I have a post named How to be a good youth soccer coach.

7v7 soccer is mostly for kids

As always, it is important to remember that in 7v7 soccer, you are normally working with kids.

Every kid should get approximately equal playing time and it is very important to make sure you talk and instruct the children in a manner that is appropriate. The kids are there to have fun while getting some exercise and it is your job as a coach to make sure that is fun for everyone and that they don’t get a bad experience that makes them want to quit.

This is of course in addition to responsibilities that you have for player, social and personal development.

Regional rules in 7v7

There is an important difference in how 7v7 is played around the world, namely the offside rule.

In some countries 7v7 is played without offside. This gives teams the opportunity to leave a man behind the opponent’s defense without risking the referee giving a freekick to the other team.

In other countries it is played with the offside rule. In the US, U9 and U10 plays 7v7 with offside.

Another rule that can vary between countries is the build out line rule. Basically, this is a line that is marked between the penalty area line and the halfway line.

When the goalkeeper of one of the teams has the ball, either during play or from a goal kick, the opposing team must move behind the build out line until the ball is in play.

The reason for this rule is to encourage the teams to practice playing out from the back rather than punting the ball far up the field.

7v7 Soccer Formations

2-3-1

This is, without a doubt, the most common 7v7 soccer formation. I am a big fan of it myself for a few reasons.

It is well balanced formation that doesn’t have any obvious weaknesses. It is also a very flexible if you need to adjust during games.

From experience I can also say that players understand this formation very easy.

From an attacking perspective it gives us plenty of with and depth to stretch the opposing team. The hard working right- and left midfielders will often be wide options if the opposing team overloads the center of the field or in case the opponents try to mark our wingers, they create more space for the central midfielder and striker.

From a defensive perspective this formation gives you a solid and compact shape that you can use to cut of any attacks. The two defenders will most of the time act as something like central defenders in 9v9 and 11v11 formations.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 4-3-1
• 3-1-3-1
• 3-4-1
• 2-3-2-1
• 2-4-2

Demands of the 2-3-1 formation

• This formation demands a lot from the wingers who are required to be contributing in both ends of the field. This means that you should have players on the wings who can run a lot.
• The defenders should be a lot like what you would expect from a 11v11 central defender. Strong, smart and quick.
• In central midfield you also need a player who can run a lot. In addition, this needs to be a player who can handle the ball well.
• The striker can be either a strong player who can hold up the ball or a quick player who can be a threat behind the opponent’s defense.
• Everyone should be comfortable in 1v1 situations both in attack and defense.

Pros

• Well balanced for both attacking and defending.
• A lot of the field is covered by your players.
• Every role in this formation is clearly defined and transfers easy to more complex forms of soccer.
• Easy to adjust if your team is having problems. You can for example have problems with the central midfielder being outnumbered 2 to 1. You can adjust then by either moving a defender up or by tucking the wingers in.

Cons

• Very work intense on midfielders.
• Can be a lot of space around the lone central midfielder in defense.
• The lone striker can sometimes be isolated.

2-2-2

One of the most basic shapes you will find. Can be good as a starting point if your team played a 2-2 formation in 4v4 or 5v5 soccer.

With this 7v7 formation you don’t care about the wide areas of the field. Players need to find a way to deal with the lack of with themselves, which can be a good thing in a development perspective.

It might be a good solution to use this formation under the right circumstances, but personally I don’t like to give up so much space in wide areas.

You can use this formation if you are playing against a good team that is known to play a lot through the middle because you will often outnumber them there.

Also, it can be used if you have some strong players and want to play a form of power-soccer with a lot of long balls and fighting to win duels.

I rarely see this formation used, but every time my team has played against a team that uses it, we have had some trouble because it is not something the players are used to playing against.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-3-2 (Narrow).
• 3-2-3 (Narrow).

Demands from the 2-2-2 formation

• If you want to use long balls, you need big strong strikers.
• If you want to play through the central areas, you need players that are extremely good on the ball.
• Good combination players.

Pros

• Good control over central areas.
• Can be a good starting point if players are used to 2-2 from 4v4 or 5v5.

Cons

• Not very relevant to build on for more complex forms of soccer.
• Gives up a lot of space on the flanks
• Easy to play against.

2-1-2-1

A solid formation that can be considered a variant of the 2-3-1.

I have seen this done a few different ways. One variant is that the central midfielder drops a bit behind the wingers to have more defensive cover. Another variant is that the wingers move further up the field to give the striker more support.

You can also adjust the width of the wingers if you want a narrower formation.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 4-3-1
• 3-1-3-1
• 3-4-1
• 2-3-2-1

Demands from the 2-1-2-1 formation

• Basically the same as for the 2-3-1 formation, but if the CM drops a bit lower, the striker will be even more isolated. This means that you would be in even more need for a striker that can hold the ball and maybe create something one his own.

Pros

• Good balance between attack and defense.
• Less defensive risk compared to 2-3-1 if you use a defensive midfielder.
• Good width and depth.

Cons

• Very work intensive on wingers if they are required to help in defense.
• You may experience that the team is divided in two between between the wingers and the defensive midfielder.

1-4-1

Even though I have not seen this used as a standard very often, most teams get into this shape without knowing it during a game.

It is easy to see that from a 3-2-1 formation you can move up the two full-backs and make a 1-4-1. From a 2-3-1 you can move up one of the defenders to get the same result.

Of course, the opposite is also true, which makes the 1-4-1 a very flexible formation that I think is a bit underused.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-4-1

Demands from the 1-4-1 formation

• You need wingers with pace and stamina.
• A striker that can hold the ball or is fast enough to take advantage of space behind the opponents defense.
• A defender who is tactically good and great 1v1.

Pros

• Extremely flexible. Can easily be turned into several other formations.
• Very good coverage in midfield.

Cons

• Requires a lot from the lone defender.
• Work intense on wingers.

3-1-2

Very rare to see teams use this formation. Depending a bit on what kind of midfield player you choose to use, strikers are often left to themselves in attack.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 4-2-2
• 3-3-2

Demands from the 3-1-2 formation

• Requires a lot of both smartness and work from the lone midfielder.
• If you choose to use the full-backs in attack the need to be both fast and have good stamina.

Pros

• Good defensive structure with three defenders and one midfield player.
• If you have strong strikers, you can be very effective with long balls.

Cons

• The lone midfield player is often isolated and outnumbered.
• Very limiting in attack.

3-1-1-1

Closely related to the 3-1-2. This is a formation that you don’t see that often but do have some benefits. If you have full backs that can participate in attack as well as defense, I think you can get this to work.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 4-2-1-1
• 3-3-1-1

Demands of the 3-1-1-1 formation

• As you only have wide players in defense, these players needs to be good 1v1 and have good tempo.
• The striker needs to be a striker that can manage to score some goals on his own.

Pros

• Solid defensive structure.
• Full-backs with lots of stamina and pace can provide you with good attacking opportunities.

Cons

• Very narrow in attack without full-backs.
• Poor support for striker.

4-1-1

Probably the most defensive formation I have seen used in 7v7 soccer. I have used this myself to practice roles for a back four in 9v9. Very small distances between defenders should make it very hard for attackers to get chances.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 4-3-1
• 4-2-2

Demands from the 4-1-1 formation

• Requires a striker that is able to work more or less on his own.
• You also need a CM that is tactically good.

Pros

• Extremely solid defensive structure.
• Good for training a back four for 9v9/11v11.

Cons

• Too defensive as a standard formation.
• If you want to use it, you need full-backs that runs a lot.

1-1-3-1

I see this used quite a bit. Often if teams that play 2-3-1 need a goal or two towards the end of a game, they push their whole midfield further up to support their striker and splits the two defenders so that one of them is a lone midfielder.

It is not the most popular formation as a default, but it is a very offensive formation and can cause big problems for the opposition if used with the right players.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-1-3-1
• 4-3-1
• 2-2-3-1

Pros

• Good formation if you need to create chances late in a game or if you expect that your team will dominate the game.
• Gives the lone defender a lot of practice in correct positioning.

Cons

• If the defender is not the most competent, there will be trouble as there is limited support from the rest of the team.
• Very vulnerable to counter attacks.

3-2-1

One of the most popular 7v7 soccer formations. The three players in defense gives the impression that it is very defensive, but that is not always the case.

You can choose to bring the full-backs up in midfield when attacking or you can move the central defender into midfield. Some teams only move the full-back on the ball side up, and others move only the opposite full-back up. There are plenty of options to choose from here.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-4-1
• 2-3-2-1
• 1-3-2-3

Demands from the 3-2-1 formation

• You want full-back with good stamina and pace.
• The striker should be good at counter attacks.

Pros

• A solid defensive structure with three defenders and two central midfielders.
• A good alternative when playing against teams that you expect are better than you.

Cons

• Striker may be low on support at times.
• Narrow midfield means that the opponents can play around our midfield.

1-2-2-1

I have been using this 7v7 soccer formation with decent success a few times. It is a variant of the 1-4-1 formation where you move the two central midfielders a bit lower to make them into defensive midfielders. On the surface it might look like it is not that big of a deal, but the lower starting point for the DMs gives you a lot more defensive security. I would choose this formation if the midfielders available to the game is more suited to defensive duties than offensive duties.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-2-2-1
• 2-2-3-1

Demands from the 1-2-2-1 formation

• You need wingers that are able to stay wide in attack. If they tuck in, the attack will be too narrow and the opponent will get an easy job of staying compact and stopping your attacks.
• The wingers also need to track back a decent amount to avoid that your team is outnumbered in defense.

Pros

• Assuming wingers are able to track back, you will have a solid defensive structure.
• Good width in attack.
• Compact shape in central area in front of goal.

Cons

• The space in front of the DMs is largely uncontested and opponents can dominate here. This can lead to a lot of situations where you play with the back against your own goal.
• If the wingers don’t track back you can get outnumbered often in defense which will give your three remaining players a hard time.

3-3

Some teams like to use this a defensive structure while playing 3-2-1 or 3-1-2, and if the players are disciplined enough it works quite well. You achieve two lines of players with short internal distances that form a block that is hard to penetrate.

I actually like this formation. The only thing i have to say against it is that there may be hard to execute a quick counter attack after winning the ball when you dont have a player to pass the ball to up front. But i would say that, out of all the 7v7 soccer formations listed her, this is far from the worst and it should probably be used a lot more than it is.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-3-2
• 3-1-3-1
• 3-4-1

Demands of the 3-3 formation

• Requires players to be disciplined when the other team has possession.
• Should have some fast players to be able to create chances after winning the ball.

Pros

• Solid defensive block with short internal distances.
• Good practice for when the team is playing a more complex form and needs to be disciplined.

Cons

• The problem of not having a striker can lead to few chances if the other team is quick to set up a defensive structure when loosing the ball.
• If your players are unable to play disciplined in their roles, it might get chaotic with the short distances.

1-3-2

This is what a 3-1-2 can look like in attack, but it can also be used like this in defense if you want to win the ball higher in the field. If your players are aggressive enough and good enough as first defenders, it can be really fun to use this formation.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-3-2
• 2-1-3-2
• 1-3-2-2

Demands of the 1-3-2 formation

• For this 7v7 soccer formation to be successful you need players that are effective first defenders.

Pros

• Can be really fun if you win the ball high up in the field often.
• Will test the central defender in a lot of situations which is really good practice.

Cons

• Can be a problem for the central defender when he is left alone.

1-2-3

In soccer top level today you will often see teams pressing really high with 3 players up front. With this formation you can do the same with 7v7 soccer formations. For the kids it might even be the boost that they need if you tell them that today they will play in the same way as Liverpool does. You should expect a lot of situations where the front 3 is overplayed, but you can also expect to win the ball often in good goal scoring positions.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-2-3
• 1-2-2-3

Demands of the 1-2-3 formation

• Your front 3 players should be able to work as a unit to win the ball as often as possible. Ideally you dont want the other team to ever be in your half, as unlikely as that is.

Pros

• Really fun for the players with a lot of action and goals.
• The players can start learning principles of high pressing if you want to play with that in 9v9.

Cons

• It is hard to hide that this formation is vulnerable if the opponents are able to play through your front 3.

1-1-2-2

This can be an even more offensive formation than the 1-2-3, but it can also be balanced as a 1-3-2. Full out attack it can look like a 1-1-4 with a lot of firepower up front. I have seen this formation used once by a team that was a lot better than their opponents. They used this to run over the other team and succeded with winning by so much that I lost count. I think that you can use this formation if you expect that your players are individually better than the other teams player or if you want to try to challenge your players with something new.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-3-2
• 3-1-2-2

Demands of the 1-1-2-2

• Players that are willing and able to pressing high.
• A solid central defender who can clean up the opponents attacks on his own.

Pros

• You are able to win the ball often in very good goal scoring positions.
• The players get good training in pressing high.

Cons

• If the opponents manage to play past the front four, you will have difficulties defending with only two players.
• Unrealistic tasks for CD and DM for 9v9 and 11v11 soccer.

2-1-3

Also an offensive formation, but with a better defensive structure. With this formation you can choose to press high, medium or you can actually perform a low pressing style. Or you can alter between press heights during a game. The 3 attacking players will provide you with a solid attack.

Can lead to the following 9v9 formations

• 3-2-3
• 2-1-2-3

Demands of the 2-1-3 formation

• Your front 3 players should be good 1v1 in both attack and defense.
• The central midfielder should be creative and good at passing.

Pros

• Many options in attack.
• Decent defensive structure.

Cons

• Gives the opponents lots of space around the central midfielder.
• If your front players are often overplayed, you can have defensive problems.

7v7 soccer formations – Conclusion

Now that you have gone through all 15 7v7 soccer formations, you should have a good idea of different ways to organize your team. So now you should be ready to send your team into battle?

Not yet, there are still a few things you need to organize to have a complete strategy for a game. You should plan how your team deals with set-pieces (corners, free-kicks, penalty kicks, goal kicks and throw ins), adjustments from attack to defense and from defense to attack (as described in The four moments in soccer), default press height (or maybe you want to vary it during a game?), etc.

There are a lot of things to consider when setting up a game plan! There are plenty of sites that gives you information on how to form a game plan online, but if you are new to coaching i would recommend reading the book “Football Coaching Theory” by Raymond Verheijen.

Also, you should make sure that your training sessions is based around the demands that your chosen strategy for 7v7 football has.

Remember that in a player development perspective, you are not trying to develop the best 7 a-side players in the world now, but the best 11v11 players in a few years time. This means that you should always have the full game in the back of your mind when coaching a 7v7 team.

And last but not least a quick reminder of who you are working with. These are kids who can have very different reasons for playing soccer. Everyone of them deserves to get a good experience as a soccer player.

So thats it, i hope you enjoyed this guide to 7v7 soccer formations and that it has helped you in some way.