FIFA tests Wenger’s ‘daylight offside’ rule in Canadian league.
FIFA’s initiative to significantly alter the offside rule in favor of the attacking side begins trials in the Canadian Premier League this weekend after failing to gain backing from European soccer authorities.
The “daylight offside” concept advocated by Arsene Wenger in recent years provides a substantial advantage to attackers—too much, according to detractors who argue it will compel teams to retreat and adopt a more defensive approach.
The trials in Canada, commencing on Saturday, will determine that attackers are onside if any part of their body that can score is level with the corresponding defender. Essentially, offside will only be called when there is evident daylight between the attacker and defender.
At present, attackers in top-flight matches are assessed for offside by numerous cameras in the stadium, often for the smallest margins, which fans have mockingly referred to as “armpit” or “toenail” offsides.
“This is about positioning the Canadian Premier League at the forefront of innovation and making a significant contribution to the global evolution of the game,” stated Canadian league commissioner James Johnson.
Wenger, who serves as FIFA’s chief of global football development, has championed the daylight concept for several years at soccer’s rules-making body known as IFAB, which agreed in February to advance trials to the Canadian league.
Former England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, now a pundit for CBS and Sky Sports, expressed in 2024 that daylight offside “will be detrimental to the game” and may lead teams to adopt a more negative style rather than increase goal-scoring opportunities.
Wenger’s daylight proposal can be incorporated into The Laws of The Game only if it receives approval from at least two of the four British federations that participate with FIFA officials at the annual IFAB meeting.
That support has not yet been secured, and a compromise option has already been suggested that would deem an attacker offside only if their torso is beyond the defender.
