how is offside determined in football? A player is in an offside position if, when a teammate plays or touches the ball, part of their head, body, or feet is in the opponents’ half and nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. That position becomes an offside offense only if the player then gets involved in active play.
This guide explains how officials judge the moment of the pass, what counts as interfering, and why a goalkeeper is not always the last defender. You’ll also see common examples, exceptions for restarts, and the difference between a deflection and a deliberate play by a defender.
how is offside determined in football?
Officials make the offside judgment at the instant a teammate plays or touches the ball, not when the potential receiver gets it. At that instant, the player must be in the opponents’ half and nearer the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent to be in an offside position.
Being in that position is not, by itself, an offense. The player must also become involved in active play. In plain terms, an attacker can stand beyond the defense without being penalized if they do not affect play.
The rule is about position and involvement, not whether the player intended to cheat or gained an advantage. A player can be offside without touching the ball if their position affects an opponent’s ability to play it.
The three checks officials make
- Find the moment of the teammate’s touch. The relevant instant is when the ball is played or touched by a teammate. Officials do not wait until the pass reaches its target.
- Check the player’s position. The player must be in the opponents’ half and nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. The halfway line itself is not part of the opponents’ half.
- Decide whether the player becomes involved. The player must interfere with play, interfere with an opponent, or gain an advantage from being in that position.
If the player meets the position test but does not become involved, play continues. If the player meets the position test and then becomes involved, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the defending team.
What counts as an offside position?
Only the player’s head, body, or feet count when judging position. Hands and arms do not count for any player, including the goalkeeper. For this rule, the arm boundary begins at the bottom of the armpit.
A player is not in an offside position if they are level with the second-last opponent, level with the last two opponents, or level with the ball. The word level matters: being exactly in line is onside, not offside.
The rule applies only in the opponents’ half. A player standing in their own half when a teammate plays the ball cannot be in an offside position, even if they run forward and receive a long pass behind the defense.
Officials compare body parts that can legally play the ball. If an attacker’s foot is beyond the relevant line but their hands are further back, the hands do not make them onside. Conversely, an arm extending toward goal does not make a player offside.
Why the second-last opponent matters
The rule refers to the second-last opponent, not the last defender. The goalkeeper often occupies one of those two positions, but not always. If the goalkeeper has come out of the goal, another defender may be the last opponent and a teammate may be the second-last.
For example, if the goalkeeper is near the halfway line and one defender is closer to the goal, the attacker is compared with that defender and the next opponent behind them. The goal line is not a player, so it does not count as an opponent.
Officials assess each attacker separately. One player can be in an offside position while a teammate remains onside. A player who is onside may receive the pass, even if another teammate beyond the defense is standing in an offside position and stays out of the play.
When does an offside-positioned player commit an offense?
An offense occurs only when an offside-positioned player becomes involved in active play. The Laws of the Game group involvement into three practical categories: interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, and gaining an advantage.
Interfering with play
This means playing or touching the ball after a teammate has played or touched it. An attacker who runs onto a through ball and controls it is interfering with play. So is a player who redirects a pass or takes a shot from an offside position.
The teammate who made the pass does not need to have intended to find that attacker. The question is whether the receiver was in an offside position at the relevant moment and then played or touched the ball.
Interfering with an opponent
A player may be penalized without touching the ball if they affect an opponent’s ability to play it. That can include clearly obstructing an opponent’s line of vision, challenging an opponent for the ball, or making an obvious action that clearly affects an opponent’s ability to play it.
Simply being near a defender or standing in an offside position is not automatically interference. Officials judge whether the player’s actions actually affect the opponent. For instance, an attacker standing in front of a goalkeeper may be penalized if they block the goalkeeper’s view of a shot.
Gaining an advantage
A player gains an advantage from an offside position by playing a ball that rebounds or is deflected to them from an opponent, or by playing a ball that comes to them after an opponent makes a deliberate save. These situations are easy to confuse with a defender deliberately playing the ball, which can change the decision.
A rebound from a goalkeeper, a goalpost, or the crossbar does not make the attacker onside. If the attacker was in an offside position when their teammate took the shot and then plays the rebound, they may be penalized for gaining an advantage.
How a defender’s touch affects the decision
A defender’s touch does not always reset the offside situation. The key question is whether the defender deliberately played the ball or whether it merely rebounded or deflected off them. A deliberate play can make an attacker who was previously in an offside position eligible to play the ball, as long as the attacker is not offside at the moment of a later teammate touch.
A defender may deliberately play the ball even if the attempt is poorly executed. Officials consider factors such as whether the defender could see the ball, whether it was moving quickly, how much time the defender had to react, and whether the defender had the opportunity to coordinate their body movement. A bad pass or mis-kick does not automatically mean the ball was only a deflection.
A deliberate save is different. A save is an attempt to stop a ball that is going into, or very close to, the goal. If an attacker in an offside position then plays the ball after a defender or goalkeeper makes a save, the attacker can still be penalized for gaining an advantage.
| What happened to the ball? | Does it usually reset offside? | Best way to read the situation |
|---|---|---|
| It rebounds from a defender without a deliberate play | No | The attacker may be penalized if they were offside when a teammate last touched the ball. |
| A defender deliberately plays it | Usually, yes | The attacker’s earlier position no longer decides the play; assess their position at the next teammate touch. |
| A defender makes a deliberate save | No | An attacker who plays the saved ball may be penalized for gaining an advantage. |
| The ball rebounds from a post or crossbar | No | A player in an offside position may be penalized for playing the rebound. |
Practical tip: Do not judge a play just by seeing a defender touch the ball. Ask whether the defender had a real chance to play it, or whether the ball simply struck them while they reacted. That distinction often explains why a flag stays up after a defensive touch.
When can a player not be offside?
A player cannot be penalized for an offside offense if they receive the ball directly from certain restarts. The exceptions are a goal kick, throw-in, and corner kick. A player can receive the ball directly from one of these restarts while standing in an offside position.
The exception applies only to the direct delivery. If a teammate touches the ball before it reaches the player, the usual offside test applies at that teammate’s touch. For example, a player can receive a long throw directly without an offside offense, but a teammate’s touch on the throw can create a new offside judgment.
There is no equivalent exemption for a free kick or a kick-off. A player can be penalized for offside from a teammate’s free kick if the position and active-play conditions are met.
Common plays that cause confusion
The attacker starts behind the defense and runs onto the pass
Running forward does not decide the call. If the attacker was level with or behind the relevant opponents when the teammate played the ball, the attacker is onside for that pass, even if they sprint beyond the defense before controlling it.
The attacker is ahead of the ball but still onside
An attacker can be closer to the goal than the ball and still be onside if they are not nearer the goal line than the second-last opponent. The ball is one of the two comparisons, not the only one.
The goalkeeper is not behind the defenders
Count opponents, not roles. If the goalkeeper has moved upfield, the offside line may be set by two outfield opponents. The player’s position is judged against the second-last opponent wherever that opponent is.
A teammate shoots while another attacker screens the goalkeeper
The player screening the goalkeeper may be penalized even without touching the shot. If their offside position obstructs the goalkeeper’s line of vision or otherwise affects their ability to play the ball, it can count as interfering with an opponent.
The ball goes backward
A backward pass does not automatically make the receiver onside. Officials still check the receiver’s position at the moment a teammate plays or touches the ball. A backward pass often means the receiver is behind the ball and therefore onside, but the opponent comparison still matters.
How assistant referees and video review judge close calls
The assistant referee watches the attacking line and raises the flag when they judge that an offside-positioned player has become involved. In many close situations, the assistant may wait briefly before signaling so the referee can see whether the attacker actually plays the ball or interferes with an opponent.
At matches using video assistant referee (VAR) technology, officials may review a potential offside offense when it relates to a goal, penalty, or another reviewable incident under the competition’s protocol. Video can help establish the moment of the pass and the players’ positions, but the decision still depends on the Laws of the Game, including whether the attacker became involved.
At home, a paused broadcast image can be useful, but it is not always enough to settle a close call. The image needs to match the precise moment the ball was played, and camera angle can make players appear closer together or further apart than they are. A single frame may also fail to show whether a player affected an opponent.
What happens after an offside offense?
The defending team receives an indirect free kick. The kick is taken from the place where the offside offense occurred, including the player’s own half if they moved there before becoming involved. It is not automatically taken from where the attacker stood when the teammate first played the ball.
That distinction can surprise viewers. The offside position is assessed at the moment of the teammate’s touch, but the offense happens when the player becomes involved. For example, an attacker might start in an offside position, run back into their own half, and then play the ball. The restart is taken where they played it.
Offside is not a foul that requires contact. The referee stops play because the attacker has gained an unfair involvement under the rule, and the defending team restarts with the indirect free kick.
Simple method for judging a close offside call
- Ignore the receiver’s later sprint. First identify the instant the teammate plays or touches the ball.
- Check the halfway line. If the attacker is in their own half at that instant, they are not in an offside position.
- Find the second-last opponent. Do not assume that player is the goalkeeper or the last defender.
- Compare the ball and the attacker. The attacker must be nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. Level counts as onside.
- Exclude the arms and hands. Judge the head, body, and feet only.
- Look for active involvement. Check whether the attacker played the ball, affected an opponent, or benefited from a rebound or save.
- Check for a restart exception or deliberate defensive play. A direct goal kick, throw-in, or corner kick has an exception; a defender’s touch may or may not reset the situation.
This order prevents a common mistake: deciding that a player is offside simply because they are beyond the defense when they receive the ball. The decisive position is measured at the teammate’s touch, then the referee checks what the player does next.
how is offside determined in football comes down to two separate questions: where the attacker stood when a teammate played the ball, and whether the attacker later became involved in play. Being beyond the defense is not enough on its own, and level with the second-last opponent is onside.
For a close call, pause at the pass, identify the second-last opponent, and then check what the attacker does. Remember the exceptions for direct goal kicks, throw-ins, and corner kicks, and do not treat every defender’s touch as a deliberate play.