Offside is judged in two stages. When a teammate plays or touches the ball, a player is in an offside position if a qualifying part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half, excluding the halfway line, and closer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. That position becomes an offside offence only if the player then becomes involved in active play; standing there alone is not an offence.
What does offside mean?
The rule separates an offside position from an offside offence. A player may be in an offside position without being penalised. The referee must also decide whether that player became involved in the active play that followed.
This is why a still image can show a player beyond the defensive line without proving that an offence occurred. The image answers the position question. The player’s later action answers the offence question.
How to identify an offside position
Use the moment when a teammate plays or touches the ball as the reference point. A player is in an offside position only when both of these conditions apply:
- A qualifying part of the player’s head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half. The halfway line is excluded from that half for this test.
- That qualifying part is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
The hands and arms of every player, including the goalkeeper, are not counted. For this purpose, the upper boundary of the arm is aligned with the bottom of the armpit.
A player is onside when level with the second-last opponent or level with the last two opponents. The second-last opponent is a comparison point, not a synonym for “the last defender”; that opponent does not have to be a defender.
Position test at a glance
| Check | What to compare | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Area of the field | The qualifying body part and the halfway line | The relevant part must be in the opponents’ half; the halfway line is not included |
| Body part | Head, body or feet | Hands and arms do not count |
| Goal-line distance | The qualifying body part, the ball, and the second-last opponent | The body part must be nearer the goal line than both reference points |
| Level position | The attacker and the second-last opponent, or the last two opponents | Level means no offside position |
Being in an offside position is not automatically an offence
A player in an offside position is penalised only after becoming involved in active play. The main routes are these.
1. Interfering with play
The player plays or touches the ball that a teammate has passed or touched. For example, an attacker waits behind the defensive line when a teammate sends a through ball and then controls that same pass.
2. Interfering with an opponent
The player clearly affects an opponent’s ability to play the ball. This can include:
- clearly blocking an opponent’s line of sight so the opponent cannot play, or no longer has the ability to play, the ball;
- challenging the opponent for the ball;
- clearly attempting to play a nearby ball when the action affects the opponent; or
- making an obvious action that clearly affects the opponent’s ability to play the ball.
Touching the ball is not required. A jump, run, feint, or attempted play near the ball can be penalised when it clearly affects an opponent.
3. Gaining an advantage after a rebound, deflection, or save
An attacker in an offside position can be penalised after playing the ball or interfering with an opponent when the ball has:
- rebounded or been deflected from a goalpost, crossbar, match official, or opponent; or
- been deliberately saved by an opponent.
A touch by a defender therefore does not automatically reset the offside situation. The referee must distinguish an accidental deflection or a deliberate save from an opponent’s deliberate play of the ball.
Which touch sets the offside moment?
For an ordinary teammate play or pass, use the first point of contact with the ball. Do not wait until the attacker receives the ball. The position is assessed at the relevant teammate touch, and the later active-play test is assessed from there.
There is a special timing rule for a goalkeeper’s throw. When the goalkeeper throws the ball to a teammate, use the last point of contact, the moment the ball leaves the goalkeeper’s hand.
When reviewing footage, pause at the correct contact point, mark the qualifying body part, and compare it with the ball and the second-last opponent. The line check does not finish the decision: the player must still have become involved in active play.
When there is no offside offence
The player does not become involved in active play
An offside position by itself is not enough. If the player does not play or touch the ball and does not clearly affect an opponent, there is no offence from the position alone. A later pass creates a new moment that must be assessed on its own.
The player is level with the relevant opponents
Being level with the second-last opponent, or level with the last two opponents, does not create an offside position. The phrase “behind the last defender” is a useful shortcut only when it does not replace the actual comparison with the ball and the second-last opponent.
The ball is received directly from a restart
There is no offside offence when a player receives the ball directly from:
- a goal kick;
- a throw-in; or
- a corner kick.
“Directly” matters. Once a corner has been taken, for example, the corner taker can be offside if a teammate later passes the ball back and the normal position and active-play tests are met.
The opponent deliberately plays the ball
When an attacker was in an offside position but receives the ball after an opponent has controlled and deliberately played it, the attacker is generally not treated as gaining an advantage from the earlier teammate play. The analysis is different when the ball only deflects accidentally or the opponent makes a deliberate save.
For deliberate play, useful indicators include whether the opponent saw the ball clearly, had time to adjust, and had a reasonable opportunity to control, pass, possess, or clear it. A controlled attempt can still count as deliberate play even if the pass or clearance is inaccurate. The rule also takes deliberate hand contact by the opponent into account for the offside analysis; any separate handball offence is judged under the relevant law.
What is the restart after an offside offence?
The referee awards an indirect free kick to the defending team at the place where the offside offence occurred, including when that place is in the offending player’s own half. Offside does not automatically mean a penalty kick or a direct free kick.
Four practical examples
Example 1: A through ball behind the line
Midfielder A1 plays a through ball to attacker A2. At A1’s relevant touch, a qualifying part of A2’s body is in the opponents’ half and nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. A2 then plays the through ball.
Decision: A2 was in an offside position and became involved in active play, so the referee penalises an offside offence. If A2 was level with the relevant defensive point at A1’s touch, there was no offside position.
Example 2: An offside position without involvement
A2 is in an offside position when A1 plays a long pass. A2 does not move towards the ball, does not obstruct a defender, and does not touch it. Teammate A3, who was in an onside position, controls the ball and starts a new phase. A3 later passes to A2 when A2 is in an onside position.
Decision: A2’s earlier position does not automatically make the later phase an offence. The referee assesses the new pass and A2’s actions at that new moment.
Example 3: A defender deliberately controls the ball
A2 is in an offside position when A1 passes. A defender sees a slow ball, has time to adjust, controls it with the foot, and deliberately tries to clear it but does so inaccurately. A2 then receives the ball.
Decision: If the defender genuinely controlled and deliberately played the ball, A2 is generally not treated as gaining an advantage from A1’s earlier pass. The outcome can differ if the ball merely deflected or the defender was making a deliberate save near the goal.
Example 4: A goal kick, throw-in, or corner kick
A2 receives the ball directly from a goal kick, throw-in, or corner kick.
Decision: There is no offside offence from that direct reception. A later teammate pass creates a new reference point and is assessed under the normal rule.
A quick way to check a disputed decision
- Find the reference touch. Identify the teammate’s play or touch. For a goalkeeper’s throw, use the last contact as the ball leaves the hand.
- Use only qualifying body parts. Count the head, body, and feet; exclude the hands and arms.
- Check the area. Is the relevant body part in the opponents’ half? The halfway line is excluded from that half for this test.
- Compare the three points. Is the relevant body part nearer the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent? If it is level, there is no offside position.
- Check active play. Did the player play or touch the ball, challenge or affect an opponent, or clearly gain an advantage in one of the situations covered by the rule?
- Check the exceptions. Was the ball received directly from a goal kick, throw-in, or corner? Did the defender deliberately play the ball, or was it only a deflection or deliberate save?
Frequently asked questions
Is a player offside just because they are behind the last defender?
No. The rule compares a qualifying part of the player’s head, body, or feet with both the ball and the second-last opponent, and the player must be in the opponents’ half. “The last defender” is a common shorthand, but it does not replace the full test.
Is a player offside when they are level with a defender?
No. A player level with the second-last opponent, or level with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position. The comparison must be made at the correct teammate touch.
Can a player be offside from a throw-in, corner kick, or goal kick?
Not when receiving the ball directly from one of those restarts. After that first reception, a teammate’s later pass is judged normally.
Does any touch by a defender reset offside?
No. An accidental deflection and a deliberate save are treated differently from a defender’s controlled, deliberate play of the ball. The referee must assess what the defender actually did.
Is offside judged when the attacker receives the ball?
Usually, no. The position is assessed when the teammate plays or touches the ball, using the first point of contact. For a goalkeeper’s throw, use the last contact as the ball leaves the hand. The player must then become involved in active play before an offence can be penalised.
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