The offside rule explained simply

Offside is the rule people argue about most, yet the idea behind it is simple: an attacker may not wait near the opponents' goal for the ball. Here is how it works in practice.

The basic rule

A player is in an offside position if, at the moment a team-mate plays the ball to them, any part of their head, body or feet is in the opponents' half and closer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. The goalkeeper usually counts as the last opponent, so in practice the attacker must not be beyond the last outfield defender.

The arms and hands do not count, because a player cannot legally play the ball with them. Being level with the second-last opponent is onside.

Being offside is not always an offence

Standing in an offside position is not punished on its own. A player is only penalised if they become involved in play: by playing or touching the ball, by blocking a defender's view or movement, or by gaining an advantage from a rebound off the post, the crossbar or an opponent.

There is also no offside from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick, and a player can never be offside in their own half.

The moment that matters

Offside is judged at the moment the ball is played by a team-mate, not when the attacker receives it. An attacker who is onside when the pass is made can run past the defenders and is not offside, even if they are well behind the defence when they collect the ball.

A deliberate play of the ball by a defender (not a save or a deflection) resets the situation, so an attacker who was in an offside position can then play on.

How VAR checks offside

The video assistant referee (VAR) can review offside in any situation that leads to a goal or a penalty. Lines are drawn on the image at the moment the pass is made. Several competitions now use semi-automated offside technology, in which cameras follow the players' limbs and a sensor in the ball detects the exact moment of the pass.

Assistant referees are asked to keep their flag down in close situations and let play continue. If a goal is scored, VAR checks it, which is why you sometimes see a late flag or a goal ruled out after a long check.

The penalty for offside

When an offside offence is given, the opposing team restarts with an indirect free kick from the place where the offence happened. On Scorefoot, offsides appear in the match statistics so you can see which team was caught more often.

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