Law 11: Offside1. Offside position·Page 109, 2026/27 edition

1. Offside position

The provision as it is printed, and everything on Ruleside that turns on it.

The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered. For the purposes of determining offside, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit.
IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, page 109 · clause law-11-bf760689

Verdicts that turn on it 1

Walk the tree to any of these and this clause is part of the answer.

Not in an offside position: no offside possibleoffside

Explained in the rules library 2

The plain-language pages that build on this provision.

Questions that ask it 1

Points in a walk where the reader is deciding this provision.

Was the player nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent?offside

The Laws of the Game are published by The IFAB and quoted here for the purpose of explaining the decisions on this site. Ruleside is not affiliated with The IFAB or FIFA. Every clause of Offside that Ruleside cites.