The Offside Rule in Football May Change in 2025

Marca reports that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) may alter the offside definition rules and only begin to fix the offside position if an attacking player is ahead of the last opponent with their entire body. The initiator of the changes is the former coach of Arsenal and current head of FIFA's football development department, Arsene Wenger.

If the new rules come into force, offside will be determined if the attacking player completely overtakes the last defender at the moment of the pass. According to current rules, it is enough for the attacking player to surpass the defender with any part of their body to be considered offside.

The rule has been undergoing trials since November 2023 at various youth tournaments in Italy and Sweden. The success of the experiment will be evaluated by the IFAB assembly by February 2025.

Published by Patrick Jane
20.03.2024