The offside rule, explained simply
Offside is the rule everyone argues about and few can explain. In one line: if a team-mate plays the ball to you while you're in the opponents' half and nearer their goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent, and you then get involved, it's offside. Here's the whole rule in plain words, from the Laws of the Game.
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In short
- You're in an offside position if you're in the opponents' half and nearer their goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
- Being level with the second-last opponent, or the last two, is onside.
- It's only an offence if you then get involved: play the ball, block an opponent or gain an advantage.
- There's no offside from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.
- The punishment is an indirect free kick to the other team where the offence happened.
When you're in an offside position
The moment that matters is when a team-mate plays or touches the ball. At that moment you're in an offside position if all three of these are true:
- You're in the opponents' half. The halfway line itself counts as your own half.
- You're nearer the opponents' goal line than the ball.
- You're nearer the opponents' goal line than the second-last opponent. The last one is usually the goalkeeper, so in practice it's the last outfield defender.
- Only the head, body and feet count. Hands and arms don't, for anyone, goalkeepers included. The arm starts at the bottom of the armpit.
- Level is onside: level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two, is fine.
When it's actually an offence
Standing in an offside position isn't an offence. It only becomes one if you get involved in active play by:
- Interfering with play: playing or touching a ball a team-mate passed or touched.
- Interfering with an opponent: blocking their line of sight, challenging them for the ball, or clearly trying to play a ball close to you when that affects them.
- Gaining an advantage: playing the ball after it bounces back to you off the post, the crossbar, the referee or an opponent, or after a save.
When there's no offside
You can't be offside if you receive the ball straight from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick. And if an opponent deliberately plays the ball to you (a pass, a miscontrol, a poor clearance), you're not offside from that, unless it was a save.
The punishment is an indirect free kick to the other team from where the offence happened, which can be in the offside player's own half.
Offside in 5-a-side, 7-a-side and friends' games
Almost every 5-a-side and 6-a-side game is played without offside, and futsal and walking football have none. In 7-a-side it depends on the league: many friends' games play without it, and some play it only in the final third. Agree it before kick-off, along with the other house rules in our 5-a-side and 7-a-side rules guides.
Youth football in England introduces offside at 9v9, so the 9-a-side rules have it. Without offside, the usual worry is a player who never comes back: the rush goalie and fair teams fix most of that. The team generator splits whoever turns up into two even sides.
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What is offside in simple terms?
When a team-mate plays the ball, you're in an offside position if you're in the opponents' half and nearer their goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent (usually the last outfield defender). Being there isn't an offence; getting involved is.
Can you be offside in your own half?
No. You have to be in the opponents' half, and the halfway line counts as your own half.
Is level onside?
Yes. Level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is onside.
Can you be offside from a goal kick?
No. There's no offside from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.
Is there offside in 5-a-side?
Almost never. 5-a-side and 6-a-side are played without offside in nearly every league and friends' game.