by The offside rule in football prevents an attacker from gaining an unfair advantage by waiting close to the opponent’s goal for a pass. A player is not penalised simply for standing in an offside position. The offence occurs only when that player becomes actively involved in play.
What is the offside rule in football?
A player is in an offside position if, at the moment a teammate plays or touches the ball, all of the following conditions apply:
- The player is in the opponents’ half of the pitch.
- Some part of the player’s head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
- The player is ahead of the second-last opponent, usually the last outfield defender.
The hands and arms of every player, including the goalkeeper, are not considered when judging offside. The halfway line also matters: a player cannot be offside while still in their own half.
Being level with the second-last opponent or level with the ball is not offside. The law allows an attacker to remain onside when any permitted scoring part of the body is level with the relevant defender or the ball.
When does an offside position become an offence?
The referee or assistant referee penalises offside only when the player in that position becomes involved in active play. This can happen in three main ways:
Interfering with play
This means playing or touching the ball after a teammate’s pass or touch. For example, if a striker is behind the second-last defender when a midfielder sends a through ball and then receives it, the striker is offside.
Interfering with an opponent
An attacker may be penalised for blocking a defender’s line of vision, challenging for the ball, making an obvious action that affects an opponent’s ability to play the ball, or preventing an opponent from playing the ball. Simply being nearby is not automatically an offence.
Gaining an advantage
An attacker can be penalised after the ball rebounds or deflects to them from the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent. The same applies when the ball is deliberately saved by an opponent and falls to a player who was offside.
Which situations are not offside?
There is no offside offence when a player receives the ball directly from a:
- Goal kick
- Throw-in
- Corner kick
There is also no offside when a defender deliberately plays the ball, unless the action is a deliberate save. A deliberate play can include an intentional attempt to pass, clear or control the ball, even if the defender makes a poor contact. A deflection, however, does not normally reset the offside situation.
How the second-last defender is used
Many explanations describe offside as being behind the last defender, but the law refers to the second-last opponent. The goalkeeper is often the deepest player, making the nearest outfield defender the second-last opponent. That is not always the case: if the goalkeeper has moved forward, two outfield defenders may determine the offside line.
Officials judge the positions at the precise moment the teammate plays or touches the ball. The attacker may run beyond the defender after that moment and still be onside if their position was legal when the pass was made.
Common offside examples
- Through pass: A forward starts behind the second-last defender, then runs onto a pass. This is onside if the forward was in a legal position when the ball was played.
- Standing near the goalkeeper: A striker is in an offside position but does not touch the ball, challenge anyone or affect the goalkeeper. No offence has occurred.
- Rebound from the post: An offside attacker scores after a teammate’s shot hits the post and rebounds directly to them. The attacker can be penalised for gaining an advantage.
- Defender deliberately clears the ball: An attacker who was previously in an offside position may be allowed to play the ball if an opponent deliberately played it, provided the action was not a save.
- Corner kick: A player may receive the corner directly without being penalised for offside.
Offside and VAR in football
Assistant referees often delay raising the flag when an attack is still developing and a possible goal-scoring chance exists. This allows the video assistant referee to check a close decision if the move ends in a goal, penalty or other reviewable incident.
VAR checks the player’s position and the moment the ball was played. Technology can help identify the relevant body parts and offside line, but the referee still makes the final decision under the Laws of the Game. An attacker’s position alone is not enough; VAR must also consider whether the player became actively involved.
What is the restart for offside?
When the referee gives an offside offence, the opposing team receives an indirect free kick from the place where the offence occurred. The restart is not taken from where the attacker first entered the offside position. If the offence happens inside the attacker’s own half after they have moved back from an offside position, the free kick is taken from the relevant location under the Laws of the Game.
Why offside decisions can look confusing
Offside decisions are difficult because they combine a player’s position, the ball’s position, the second-last opponent and the exact instant of a teammate’s touch. A player can appear beyond the defender when receiving the ball but still be onside if they started level or behind the offside line at the pass. Conversely, a player may be several metres behind the defender when the ball arrives but still be offside if they were ahead of the line when the pass was made.
