How do I judge whether a player is in an offside position?

Question

Accepted Answer

Under Law 11.1, a player is in an offside position if:

any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents' half (excluding the halfway line), and
any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

The hands and arms of all players, including goalkeepers, are not considered. For offside, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit.

A player is not in an offside position if level with the second-last opponent or level with the last two opponents.

Being in an offside position is not itself an offence, so you only flag when the player becomes involved in active play.

Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, Law 11 (Offside): https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/offside/