The International Football Federation (FIFA) is preparing a revolutionary change in the rules regarding offsides.
The president of the federation, Gianni Infantino, said during the World Sports Summit in Dubai that this year’s World Cup 2026 should already be in the test phase of the new interpretation of the offside position.
The essence of the considered innovation is that the attacker must be “completely behind” the defender with his whole body in order to be considered offside.
A drastic change
The intended change would not be just a cosmetic modification of the rules. Offside, which is for many decades on the line between justice and controversy, would suddenly greatly simplify the work of attackers and thereby increase the offensive game. The aim is to make football “more offensive and attractive”, confirmed Infantino.
The potential revolution in the rules should also significantly reduce the number of game interruptions. “We are dealing with an offside rule that has evolved over the years and now requires the attacker to be behind or level with the last defender,” said the native of Brig, Switzerland.
“Maybe in the future the player will have to be completely behind the defender for it to be offside. We are currently in the testing phase,” he added.
The current assessment of offside is the subject of many debates. Thanks to modern technologies, it is an offside position even if the attacking player is closer to the opponent’s goal, even if only by a small part of his body.
The assessment of contested situations often takes a very long time before the video referee in headquarters finds the best shot and places a line on it to make the decision.
They want to improve VAR
“A few years ago, we introduced VAR to make football fairer and for referees to correct their own mistakes. We will continue to improve this technology, but also review the rules to make the game more attractive and interesting,” noted Infantino.
If the change is introduced, it will no longer be considered offside if the attacker has only part of his leg or hand behind the last defender. The idea is not new, it has been promoted for a long time by, for example, FIFA’s head of global development and former famous coach Arsene Wenger.
International football rules body IFAB recommended “further analysis and testing” in October. The next IFAB meeting will be held on January 20 in London.
This year’s World Championships will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
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