Offside, explained

In one lineBeing in an offside position is not an offence in itself; a player is only penalised if they were in that position when a team-mate played the ball and then became involved in play.

Two questions, in order

Offside is Law 11 of the Laws of the Game. To judge it, referees answer two questions, in order:

1. Was the player in an offside position at the moment a team-mate played or touched the ball?
2. If so, did the player then become involved in active play?

Only a “yes” to both is an offence.

Step one: the offside position

A player is in an offside position when both of these are true:

• some part of their head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half (the halfway line itself does not count as the opponents’ half); and
• some part of their head, body or feet is closer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

The second-last opponent is usually the last outfield defender, because the goalkeeper is usually the last. But not always. If the goalkeeper has come off the line, two outfield players may be the last two.

Level is onside. A player level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position.

Which body parts count

Hands and arms are ignored for every player, goalkeepers included. For this purpose, the Laws set the top of the arm at the bottom of the armpit. So a shoulder can put a player offside, but a hand cannot.

The moment that matters

Position is judged when a team-mate plays or touches the ball. The Laws use the first point of contact with the ball. When a goalkeeper throws the ball, the last point of contact is used instead.

Step two: the offence

A player in an offside position is penalised only if they get involved in one of three ways:

1. Interfering with play: playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate.
2. Interfering with an opponent: clearly blocking an opponent’s view, challenging them for the ball, clearly trying to play a nearby ball when this affects an opponent, or making an obvious action that clearly affects an opponent’s ability to play the ball.
3. Gaining an advantage: playing the ball, or interfering with an opponent, after it has bounced off the post, crossbar, a match official or an opponent, or after an opponent has deliberately saved it.

The punishment is an indirect free kick (one that cannot go straight into goal) to the defending team, taken where the offence happened, even if that is in the attacker’s own half.

When offside cannot happen

• In your own half. You cannot be in an offside position there.
• From certain restarts. There is no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.
• Behind the ball. A player level with or behind the ball is not in an offside position.

The hard part: a defender’s deliberate play

Suppose a defender deliberately plays the ball, with a pass, an attempt to control it or a clearance, and it reaches an attacker who was in an offside position. The attacker is normally not penalised. It does not matter if the defender’s pass or clearance was poor. The same applies to a deliberate handball.

The exception is a save. If an opponent deliberately stops, or tries to stop, a ball going into or very close to the goal, the attacker who then benefits is penalised.

How does a referee tell a deliberate play from a deflection? The Laws list signs that the defender was in control:

• the ball travelled from a distance and the player could see it clearly;
• it was not moving quickly, and its direction was not unexpected;
• the player had time to coordinate their body, rather than stretching or jumping on instinct;
• a ball on the ground is easier to play than one in the air.

Stepping off the pitch

Leaving the field does not change the offside picture. A defender who steps off without the referee’s permission still counts, for offside, as standing on the goal line or touchline. This lasts until the next stoppage, or until the defending team has played the ball towards the halfway line and it is outside their penalty area.

An attacker may step off to show they are not involved. If they come back from the goal line and join in before that same point, they are treated as standing on the goal line.

Technology: semi-automated offside

In competitions that use VAR, an offside position is a factual question the video officials can check. See VAR, explained. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) makes this faster. In the Laws’ glossary it is technology that passes offside information to the video assistant referee straight away and, in a more advanced form, to the assistant referees on the touchline as well. Since 2026/27, Law 5 names it, with VAR and goal-line technology, as a tool competitions may use.

FIFA’s system at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar worked like this:

• 12 tracking cameras under the stadium roof followed up to 29 points on each player’s body, 50 times per second;
• a sensor in the ball reported 500 times per second, to pinpoint the moment of the kick;
• software sent an alert to the video officials, who checked the kick point and the offside line before telling the referee;
• the same data then produced a 3D animation for stadium screens and broadcasters.

It is “semi” automated because people still confirm every decision.

Where it has been used, according to the organisers:

The IFAB has said its trials in 2026/27 will keep exploring alternative offside ideas. Until a change is approved, the Law described here is the one in force.

Where to go next

• The 17 Laws in plain English
• VAR, explained
• Pressing, explained, for how high or deep a defence sets its lines