What Is Offside in Football? The Offside Rule Explained Simply
When is a player offside? A plain-language guide to football's offside rule: offside position, when it's punished, situations where there's no offside, and how VAR checks it.
No rule in football sparks more arguments in cafés and stands than offside. A goal is ruled out, a player protests, and a replay is shown dozens of times. But the rule is actually simpler than it looks once you understand it in two stages.
Offside is covered by Law 11 of the Laws of the Game, published by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
Stage one: when is a player in an “offside position”?
A player is in an offside position if both of these are true:
- They are in the opponents’ half (the halfway line doesn’t count).
- Any part of their head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
Important notes:
- Hands and arms don’t count, for all players, including goalkeepers.
- The second-last opponent is usually the last defender, because the goalkeeper is normally the last player. But if the goalkeeper comes forward, what matters is where players are, not their positions.
- If the attacker is level with the second-last defender, they are not offside.
Note: being in an offside position is not an offence by itself. A player is only penalised if they become involved in play.
Stage two: when is an offside player penalised?
Offside is called if a player was in an offside position at the moment a teammate played or touched the ball, and then became involved in play by:
- Interfering with play: playing or touching the ball.
- Interfering with an opponent: for example, blocking the goalkeeper’s line of vision, or challenging a defender for the ball.
- Gaining an advantage: for example, playing a ball that rebounds to them off the post, the crossbar, a match official or an opponent, or after a save by the goalkeeper.
The key moment: when the ball is passed, not when it’s received
Offside is judged at the moment the teammate passes the ball, not when it’s received. That’s why an attacker can be in a legal position at the pass, then sprint past the defenders and receive the ball completely legally.
Situations where there’s never offside
- Receiving the ball directly from a goal kick.
- Receiving it directly from a throw-in.
- Receiving it directly from a corner kick.
- Being in your own half.
What is the punishment?
The opposing team is awarded an indirect free kick from where the offence happened.
Examples
- Example 1: A midfielder passes, and the striker was behind the last defender at the moment of the pass. The striker receives the ball and scores. → Offside.
- Example 2: The winger was level with the last defender at the moment of the pass, then outran him and scored. → Not offside.
- Example 3: A player in an offside position far from the ball doesn’t affect anyone, and a teammate scores with a long-range shot. → Goal stands.
- Example 4: A striker behind the defenders receives the ball directly from a throw-in. → Not offside.
How has the offside rule changed?
- Versions of the rule have existed since the game’s first written laws in 1863.
- In 1925, the rule changed so that only two opponents (instead of three) needed to be between the attacker and the goal line, and the number of goals rose sharply.
- In 1990, an attacker level with a defender became onside, to favour attacking play.
Technology and offside
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was used at a World Cup for the first time in Russia in 2018. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, semi-automated offside technology appeared, using cameras that track players’ limbs and a sensor inside the ball that pinpoints the moment it is kicked.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the offside rule exist?
To stop attackers from waiting next to the opponents’ goal for the whole match, keeping the game collective and tactical.
Can a goalkeeper be offside?
In theory yes, as the rule applies to any player in an offside position, but in practice it’s extremely rare.
Key takeaway
Offside has two stages: first, offside position (being nearer the goal than both the ball and the second-last defender, in the opponents’ half), and second, becoming involved in play at the moment a teammate passes. And there’s no offside from a goal kick, throw-in or corner.