Practical guidelines for match officialsPositioning of assistant referees and additional assistant referees·Page 212, 2026/27 edition
Positioning of assistant referees and additional assistant referees
The provision as it is printed, and everything on Ruleside that turns on it.
The AR must be in line with the second-last defender or the ball if it is nearer to the goal line than the second-last defender. The AR must always face the field of play, even when running. Side-to-side movement should be used for short distances. This is especially important when judging offside as it gives the AR a better line of vision.
Explained in the rules library 1
The plain-language pages that build on this provision.
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 Practical guidelines for match officials that Ruleside cites.