Law 11 · Offside
Offside in football: position, offence and restarts
A practical guide to Law 11: when an attacking player is in an offside position, when that position becomes an offence, the main exceptions and how play restarts.
When a player is in an offside position
A player is in an offside position only if part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half and nearer the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. Hands and arms do not count, and being level with the second-last opponent or the last two opponents is not offside.
Offside position is not automatically an offence
The position is judged when a team-mate plays or touches the ball. The player is penalised only if they then become involved in active play, for example by playing the ball, interfering with an opponent or gaining an advantage from a rebound, deflection or deliberate save.
Deliberate play, deflections and direct restarts
Receiving the ball after an opponent deliberately plays it can reset the offside situation, except after a deliberate save. A mere deflection does not. There is no offside offence when a player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, throw-in or corner kick.
What happens when offside is given
The referee awards an indirect free kick to the defending team from the place where the offside offence occurred. In practice, the key sequence is: judge the player’s position at the team-mate’s touch, then decide whether that player becomes involved in active play.