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Offside is one of soccer’s most misunderstood rules because being in an offside position is not automatically an offense. The decision depends on where the attacker is when a teammate plays or touches the ball and what the attacker does next.
The basic offside position test
Under IFAB Law 11, a player is in an offside position when any playable part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half and is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. The hands and arms are not used to judge offside.
A player who is level with the second-last opponent, or level with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position. The halfway line itself does not count as being in the opponents’ half for this purpose.
When is the offside snapshot taken?
The key reference point is the moment the ball is played or touched by the attacker’s teammate. Think of it as a snapshot. The referee does not judge the player’s position when the pass arrives; the relevant position is established when the teammate makes the play or touch that sends the ball onward.
That timing explains why a fast forward can appear several yards beyond the defense when receiving the ball and still be onside: the forward may have been level or behind the relevant opponent when the pass was made.
Being offside is not the same as committing an offside offense
IFAB explicitly states that it is not an offense simply to be in an offside position. A player is penalized only after becoming involved in active play.
That involvement can include playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a teammate, interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage by playing a ball that rebounds, deflects or is deliberately saved in the circumstances defined by Law 11.
What does interfering with an opponent mean?
An attacker does not have to touch the ball to be penalized. An offside-positioned player can interfere with an opponent by clearly blocking the opponent’s line of vision, challenging for the ball, making an obvious action that affects an opponent’s ability to play the ball, or clearly attempting to play a nearby ball in a way that impacts an opponent.
This is why a player standing near a goalkeeper can matter even without touching a shot. If that player’s position or action clearly prevents the goalkeeper from seeing or playing the ball, offside may be called.
The three direct-restart exceptions
There is no offside offense when a player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick. Those are specific exceptions in Law 11.
Notice what is not on that list: a free kick. A player can be penalized for offside from a teammate’s free kick if the normal offside conditions are satisfied.
What happens after a defender touches the ball?
Not every defensive touch resets offside. IFAB distinguishes a deliberate play from a deflection or a deliberate save. If an opponent deliberately plays the ball and an attacker then receives it, the previous offside position may no longer produce an offense. A mere deflection does not automatically have the same effect, and a deliberate save is treated differently from an ordinary deliberate play.
This distinction is one reason close offside decisions can require more than drawing a line across the field: officials may also need to judge the nature of the defender’s action.
Can you be offside from your own half?
No. To be in an offside position, the player must be in the opponents’ half, excluding the halfway line. An attacker can therefore start a run from the defensive half before a teammate plays a long pass and then race beyond the defense legally.
Can you be offside if you are behind the ball?
No. The offside-position test requires the attacker to be nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. If the receiving attacker is level with or behind the ball when the teammate plays it, the attacker is not in an offside position even if no defender is between that attacker and the goal.
Why the second-last opponent matters
Fans often say an attacker must stay behind the “last defender,” but the law actually refers to the second-last opponent. Usually the goalkeeper is one of the two opponents closest to the goal line, so the shorthand seems to work. But if the goalkeeper moves upfield or another defender drops onto the goal line, the true second-last-opponent test becomes important.
What is the restart after offside?
When an offside offense occurs, the defending team receives an indirect free kick from the place where the offense occurred, subject to the usual Laws of the Game provisions.
The easiest way to remember offside
Use three questions: Where was the attacker when the teammate played the ball? Was the attacker actually in an offside position under the second-last-opponent and ball test? Did that attacker then become involved in active play? If the answer to all three supports the call, the offside offense is much easier to understand.
For the broader tactical picture, see our Soccer Positions Explained guide.
Rules basis: current IFAB Law 11. Featured image: generic soccer goalkeeper imagery by David Clarke via Unsplash; it does not depict a specific match or offside decision.