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The Offside Rule in Soccer Explained

Offside is one of soccer's most fundamental principles.

Barnaby Lane

Offside!
Offside! / IMAGO/Zink

The offside rule is one of the most fundamental principles of professional soccer.

While seemingly straightforward in theory, however, it remains a consistent source of controversy and debate, often leaving fans, players, and pundits alike questioning its application and interpretation.

The introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to assist with enforcing the rule in recent years has only further complicated things, as it has led to even finer margins and split-second decisions being over-scrutinized.

Here, Sports Illustrated spells out exactly what the offside rule is and explains why it's so contentious.

What is the offside rule in soccer?

Referees signal off offside using this gesture.
Referees signal off offside using this gesture. / IMAGO/Kirchner-Media

According to the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) "Laws of the Game," a soccer player is offside if, when in the opponent's half, any part of their head, body, or legs is closer to the opposition goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

The last opponent is almost always goalkeeper, meaning the "second-last opponent" usually refers to the final defender.

The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered when calling offside.

Being in an offside position is not a foul by itself. A player is only penalized if they become actively involved in the play while in that position by either receiving the ball or interfering with an opponent.

According to the IFAB, players can interfere with opponents in four ways: obstructing their line of vision, challenging them for the ball, attempting to play the ball, or making an obvious action that clearly impacts the opponent's ability to play the ball.

A player is also considered offside if they were in an offside position when a teammate played the ball, and it either rebounds or deflects off the post, crossbar, an opponent, or is deliberately saved and comes back to them.

Finally, players cannot be offside when receiving the ball from goal-kicks, corners, and throw-ins.

Easy enough, right? We think not.

What is the purpose of the offside rule in soccer?

The offside rule is designed to prevent attacking players getting an advantage.
The offside rule is designed to prevent attacking players getting an advantage. / IMAGO

The purpose of the offside rule in soccer is simple: to prevent attacking players from gaining an unfair advantage over defenders.

If players could position themselves anywhere and receive the ball without penalty, attackers would inevitably position themselves close to the opposition’s goal, waiting to score from a short distance. This would turn soccer into a game of back-and-forth long balls, rather than one that emphasizes skillful movement and team strategy.

The offside rule maintains fairness and balance, ensuring that every player on the pitch has an active role in the game.

What are the sanctions for being offside in soccer?

When an offside offense occurs, the defending team is awarded an indirect free-kick. This is taken from the location where the offside player either plays the ball or interferes with play or an opponent, or gains an advantage.

Players are not penalized with cards or any other disciplinary action for offside offenses, regardless of how many times they occur.

Examples of offside in soccer

Offside is often controversial in soccer.
Offside is often controversial in soccer. / IMAGO/foto2press

Still confused? Don't worry, we get it, and we're here to help. As with most sporting rules, the offside rule is easier to understand through real life examples.

Look at the following picture, for example. Here, the player furthest forward player on the far left is offside (though only just), because at the point the ball is played to him, part of his head, body, or legs is in front of the second-last opponent.

In this case, the second-last opponent is the player adjacent to him, with the goalkeeper, who is out of view, being the last opponent.

In this next example, the striker, in this case Harry Kane, is again offside because when the ball is played to him, part of his head, body, or legs is in front of the second-last opponent.

Unlike the previous example, however, the goalkeeper here isn't the last opponent. There are two defenders behind him. The first of those is now considered to be the second-last opponent, and because Kane is front of him, he is offside.

One final example. The player in red next to the goalkeeper is in an offside position when his teammate heads the ball towards goal, and eventually scores.

But because he didn't interfere with play by either obstructing the goalkeeper's line of vision, attempting to play the ball, or making an obvious action that clearly impacts the goalkeeper's ability to play the ball, he committed no foul.

Why is offside controversial?

Offside in soccer has always been controversial because it contains an element of subjectivity and room for human error.

For example, the person whose decision it is to call offside is the linesman. They run up-and-down the flanks tirelessly to try and keep in line with the play so they can call for offside when needs be. Fail to keep up, however, and they will be out of line and their decision may be impacted. Likewise, if the play is on the opposite flank to which they are running, there may not see it correctly.

Linesman are humans, not eagles, after all.

Also, what exactly constitutes interfering with an opponent is up to the referee to decide. What one referee might deem an interference, another could overlook. Given the speed of the game and the number of players involved, these decisions can be incredibly difficult to make in real-time.

How has technology impacted offside in soccer?

VAR.
VAR has been helping check offsides for some years now. / IMAGO/Alex Todd

Initially implemented in 2018, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is now used in almost every major league and competition in world soccer.

It involves a team of officials who review footage from multiple cameras to help the on-field officials make better calls, including for offsides.

While on paper this might seem a good thing, in reality, it's caused a lot of controversy.

The technology has helped reduce human error for obvious mistakes, but for close calls, it's actually made thing worse. This is because it's still run by, you guessed it, humans. When the margins for error are so thin, they can be incredibly difficult to judge, even with video evidence.

Whether or not a player is deemed to be interfering with play also remains a completely human decision. The only difference now is that instead of a quick decision being made, right or wrong, the same subjective call is made after minutes of reviewing footage, with players standing around waiting.

Not only does disrupt the flow of games, leading to more boring spectacles, the pursuit of perfect accuracy is, in the eyes of many, spoiling the spontaneity and excitement that makes soccer the word's most popular sport.

Does being a toe nail offside really matter? We'd argue not.

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Barnaby Lane
BARNABY LANE

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider. Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.

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