The offside rule, settled forever

Last updated for World Cup 2026 · reading time: one pint

Somewhere right now, somebody is rearranging salt and pepper pots on a pub table and getting it slightly wrong. This page exists so you can simply send them a link and order the next round.

The rule in one sentence:

You are in an offside position if any part of your head, body or feet that can legally score is nearer the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent at the moment a teammate plays the ball forward to you.

The three-part pub checklist

1. Where were you when the ball was kicked? Not where you received it. Where you were standing at the exact moment your teammate touched the ball. This is the bit everyone gets wrong.
2. Were you past the second-last defender? The goalkeeper usually counts as one of them, so in practice: were you past the last outfield defender?
3. Did you get involved? Standing in an offside position is not an offence by itself. You only get flagged if you play the ball, block the keeper's view, or profit from a rebound.

The diagrams

ONSIDE ✓ behind the line when the ball is played

OFFSIDE ✗ past the line when the ball is played

Red = attackers, blue = defenders, dashed line = the second-last opponent. The keeper (gold) is the other one.

You cannot be offside when...

You're in your own half when the ball is played. Sprint from there and you're fine.
You're level with the second-last defender. Level is onside. Always has been.
The ball comes from a goal kick, corner or throw-in. Genuinely. Memorise this one and win arguments forever.
The ball is deliberately played to you by a defender. A back-pass gone wrong is your lawful prize.

The myths that will not die

"He's offside, he's past the last man!" Wrong moment. It only matters where he was when the ball was kicked, not where he is now. Fast strikers look offside constantly and aren't.

"He's in an offside position so it's a free kick!" Not unless he gets involved. He can stand there admiring the view all day if he never touches the ball or bothers anyone.

"His arm was offside!" Arms and hands don't count, for attackers or defenders. You can't score with them, so they can't put you offside.

At this World Cup: robots are watching

World Cup 2026 uses semi-automated offside technology: limb-tracking cameras follow every player at 50 frames per second and a sensor in the ball logs the exact kick moment. When an offside player gets involved, the system pings the VAR team within seconds, complete with one of those 3D animations for the big screen. The salt and pepper pots have been made redundant. The arguments, of course, will continue.

Now you're ready for kick-off.

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