Offside rule explained: a simple guide to Law 11
Offside is football's most argued-about law. Here is how Law 11 actually works, with clear examples and answers to fans' common questions.
The offside rule is the law of football that confuses new fans more than any other, but the basic idea is simple. An attacker cannot wait behind the defence for a pass. This guide explains Law 11 in plain English: when a player is in an offside position, when that actually becomes an offence, the exceptions, and how technology is used to make decisions in 2026/27. It is based on the Laws of the Game published by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that writes football’s rules, and is correct for the 2026/27 season.
The short answer
- Standing offside is not, by itself, an offence. A player is only penalised if they are in an offside position and become involved in active play.
- Offside position: in the other team’s half, and with the ball and the second-last opponent both further from the opposing goal line than you are. The second-last opponent is usually the last outfield defender, because the goalkeeper is normally the last.
- Level is onside: a player level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is not offside.
- Arms and hands don’t count. Only the head, body and feet are used to judge position.
- No offside from: a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.
- Punishment: the defending side gets an indirect free kick.
What is an offside position?
Under Law 11, you check a player’s position at the moment a teammate plays or touches the ball, not when the player receives it. A player is in an offside position when their head, body or feet (any of them) are:
- in the opponents’ half (the halfway line itself does not count as part of the opponents’ half), and
- closer to the opposing goal line than the ball, and also closer than the second-last opponent.
The IFAB says the hands and arms of every player, goalkeepers included, are left out. To be precise about where the arm starts, the upper boundary of the arm is taken to be level with the bottom of the armpit. That is why a shoulder can make a player offside but a sleeve cannot.
When does it become an offence?
Standing in an offside position only becomes an offence if the player gets involved in active play, which can happen in three ways.
1. Interfering with play
Playing or touching a ball that a teammate has passed or touched. This is the most common offside call.
2. Interfering with an opponent
Stopping a defender or goalkeeper from playing the ball. Examples include clearly blocking their line of sight, challenging them for the ball, trying to play a ball that is close by when that affects an opponent, or making an obvious action that affects an opponent’s ability to play the ball.
3. Gaining an advantage
Benefiting also covers playing the ball, or getting in an opponent’s way, when it bounces back or deflects to you off the post, the crossbar, a match official or an opponent. The same applies if an opponent has deliberately saved the ball.
Deliberate play by a defender
This part of the law causes the most arguments. If a defender deliberately plays the ball, including with a deliberate handball, and it reaches an attacker who was in an offside position, the attacker is not punished. The exception is a deliberate save.
The IFAB defines deliberate play as a player being in control of the ball, with the option to pass it, keep it or clear it. A poor pass or a miscued clearance still counts as deliberate play. Referees look at things like how far the ball travelled, how fast it was moving, whether its direction was unexpected and whether the defender had time to react. A quick reflex stretch is usually not treated as deliberate play.
The exceptions to remember
- Restarts: you cannot be offside if the first touch you take comes straight from a goal kick, throw-in or corner kick.
- Own half: a player cannot be in an offside position in their own half.
- Behind the ball: a player who is level with or behind the ball when it is played is not offside.
- Defenders leaving the pitch: a defender who leaves the field without the referee’s permission still counts as being on the goal line or touchline for offside purposes until play next stops, or until his team clears the ball out of the penalty area towards the halfway line.
What happens after an offside offence?
The referee gives an indirect free kick to the other team at the place where the offence happened. That can even be in the offending player’s own half, if that is where they became involved in play.
Offside and technology in 2026/27
The IFAB’s changes for 2026/27 add wording to Law 5 confirming that competitions may use technology to help referees with offside decisions, including semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), alongside VAR and goal-line technology. The definition of offside in Law 11 has not changed.
Ideas such as giving the attacker the benefit when any part of their body is level with the defender, sometimes linked to Arsène Wenger, have been discussed in recent years, but they have not been adopted and are not part of the current Laws.
Common myths
- “The goalkeeper is always the last man.” Not always. If the goalkeeper has come out, two outfield players can be the last two opponents, and the offside line is set by the second-last of them.
- “You’re offside wherever you stand.” No. Standing in an offside position without getting involved is legal.
- “You can be offside from a throw-in.” No. Throw-ins are an exception.
FAQ
What is offside in football in simple words?
An attacker is offside if, when a teammate passes, they are beyond the ball and beyond the second-last opponent in the other team’s half, and they then get involved in play.
Can you be offside in your own half?
No. An offside position only exists in the opponents’ half.
Is level offside?
No. Being level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is onside.
Can you be offside from a corner?
No. There is no offside offence when the ball comes directly from a corner kick, a goal kick or a throw-in.
What to watch
Look out for the deliberate-play judgement and semi-automated offside graphics in this season’s big competitions. Any future change to Law 11 would have to be approved at an IFAB Annual General Meeting before the following season.
Related: How the Champions League works: 2026/27 format explained; How Oscar voting works. More in our International Entertainment section.
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