Q&A for How to Understand Offside in Soccer (Football)

No, if an opponent passes the ball backwards to an attacker in an offside position, it is not offside.

If the attacking team kicks it and it brushes the defender, it is considered offside.

No, your body must be in front of the defender. Otherwise, it's counted as in-line with the second last defender.

The player will not be penalized unless he or she interferes with play, for example by preventing an opponent from reaching the ball.

Only if the attacker who played the ball was in an offside position when the ball was played forward (and was then subsequently "missed" by the goalkeeper).

Yes, players are allowed to be in an offside position when receiving a goal kick. This can often be confused with a goalie's punt upfield, which is not protected, and an offensive player can be guilty of offside when receiving this pass/punt.

There must be two players in front of you before your teammate kicks the pass that you are to receive. To be onside, you must get behind those players before the ball is kicked to you. Or a defendant must control the ball (not just touch) before you do, which resets the offside rule.

This is likely a "yes". The ball only has to be "touched" by an (offensive) teammate then received by the player who was in an offside position at the time the ball was touched by the teammate.

No, the forward is not considered offside as long as the defender is the last player that plays the ball.

Yes, any pass during regular play can lead to an off-sides call. Free kicks can as well. Throw ins, however, can not result in an off-sides call.

Not technically as all players are required to be "behind" the ball, or further from the goal line than the ball/penalty mark. If a player were to move past this mark before the kick was taken, it could be considered an infraction by that team and could result in a goal being disallowed, retaken, or a free kick being given to the other team, depending on who does it and whether the kick scores.

If a player in an offside position is passed to, they need to make an obvious attempt to avoid the ball. Usually players do this by putting their hands up and slowing down, or by running off the field past the goal line to avoid an infraction. The moment the ball is played with control by a defender, the offensive player can re-engage.

No, what matters is your onside/offside status at the time of the actual pass.

No, but playing soccer can make it easier to understand the rules. Some people also find that they learn the rules faster through playing.

A red card would never be given in an offside situation. However, if you are given a red card, your exiting the vicinity of the field is compulsory.

Yes, all defenders matter when marking the line for offside. A defender who is injured, tying his shoe, in the goal, or even off the field behind the goal line counts toward the 2 last defenders. In other words, this player could be "holding on" the attacking forward.

You are not offside in this position as the ball is closer to the goal line than you are, or even with you. The position of the other attacker is not important, only the position of the ball and the second to last defender. The ball is the offside line once it is between the second to last defender and the goal line.

It depends on where he was when the ball was kicked to him. If he was ahead of the last defender when the ball was kicked, then he was offside. If he was behind the defender when the ball was kicked and he kept running, that is a goal.

This question is often worded this way and hard to answer this way. A player is not "guilty of an offside infraction" if they are offside and receive the ball directly from a throw in. In other words, they are "allowed" to be offside in this situation. The same is true for a goal kick and corner kick.

Yes. You can only be offside by receiving a forward pass.

Previously, this was a gray area. It would have to be unsporting conduct in general to be a yellow card and violent conduct to be a red card, but otherwise, nothing was called. An indirect free kick was given to the other team. According to the 2016 update of the Laws of the Game, the answer is an outright "yes," and a direct free kick (even a penalty kick) is given to the other team.

Correct. This is one of three exceptions, including throw-ins and corner kicks.

Yes, you are allowed. An offside infraction only happens by a pass from a teammate, not by dribbling downfield.

Not necessarily. But you might feel more satisfied if you know what's going on and how to interpret the referees' decisions.

Yes, this would be an offside infraction if you were in an offside position at the time of the punt by your goalkeeper.

No. You are onside since the ball is in front of you.

Yes. The rule is not affected by who the goalkeeper is. What matters is how many defenders are closer to the goal line than the attacker, regardless of whether one of those defenders is the goalkeeper or not. When the keeper comes forward like this, leaving one defender behind them, then the keeper becomes the offside line, depending on the position of the ball.

If the attacker was offside at the time of the original pass by the teammate, then possibly. It depends on exactly what happened at the "deflection" by the defender. If that deflection was not deliberate or was a deliberate save, then the attacker is offside, no goal. If the deflection was a deliberate play on the ball, no offside, goal is good.

The referee usually makes the final decision. When spectating, you will see the AR put the flag up, but the referee makes the final call.

Yes, but only because the defensive touch was accidental and only if the attacker was offside at the time of the original pass.