Set the team size and choose matching formations
A detailed web and mobile workflow for choosing the number of starters, using age-appropriate formation presets and increasing the format without rewriting published team-sheet history.
Count the complete starting lineup
Choose the total number of players who start, including the goalkeeper. For example, a 2-3-1 shape has six outfield players plus one goalkeeper, so the team must be configured as 7-a-side.
Set the format on the web
When creating the first club team or registering another team, use Starting lineup to choose 5 through 12. For an existing team, open its team details in Squad, change the match format and save. The new value controls future draft and scheduled team sheets.
Set the format on mobile
Club admins can open Teams, create a team and choose its lineup size. An admin or an assigned manager with squad-edit permission can open the team, use Match format for future team sheets and save the new size.
Use the matching presets
Open Team Sheet Studio for an upcoming fixture. NEXTXI automatically filters the formation picker to the selected team's format and creates exactly one goalkeeper slot plus the required outfield positions.
- 5-a-side: 1-2-1, 2-1-1, 1-1-2 or 2-2
- 6-a-side: 2-2-1, 1-3-1, 2-1-2 or 1-2-2
- 7-a-side: 2-3-1, 3-2-1, 2-2-2 or 3-1-2
- 8-a-side: 3-3-1, 2-3-2, 3-2-2 or 2-4-1
- 9-a-side: 3-3-2, 3-2-3, 2-3-3, 4-3-1 or 3-4-1
- 10-a-side: 3-4-2, 4-3-2, 3-3-3, 4-2-3 or 3-5-1
- 11-a-side: 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1
- 12-a-side academy: 4-4-3, 3-5-3, 4-3-4, 3-4-4 or 5-3-3
Check the default shape
The balanced defaults are 1-2-1, 2-2-1, 2-3-1, 3-3-1, 3-3-2, 3-4-2, 4-3-3 and 4-4-3 for 5 through 12-a-side respectively. Coaches can choose another available preset for each fixture.
Increase the size as players progress
Change the team record when its competition moves to a larger format. New drafts use the new starting number and preset list; already published sheets keep their original size, formation and players as part of the club and player history.
Verify before scheduling
Confirm the team format shown above the formation picker, assign every required position and then add substitutes. NEXTXI will not schedule or publish a sheet with the wrong formation or an incomplete starting lineup.
Checks that prevent common mistakes
- Count the goalkeeper in the team size but not in the formation notation.
- Change the team format only when the competition changes—not to solve a one-off availability problem.
- Published sheets are historical records and remain unchanged.
- 12-a-side is treated as a custom academy format rather than a standard Laws-of-the-Game format.
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