Arsenal’s legendary manager Arsene Wenger is high up in the FIFA system responsible for further development. For quite some time, the Frenchman has been eager to introduce a new offside rule.
New offside rule from Arsène Wenger could soon be introduced after test in Canada
Arsène Wenger’s proposal for a revised offside rule will be tested for the first time in professional football. The Canadian Premier League (CPL) will be the first league to introduce an official arrangement with the revised rule during the 2026 season.
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The legendary Arsenal boss, who is now FIFA’s head of global football development, has been a vocal critic of the current offside procedure.
Why does Wenger want to change the offside rule?
Wenger presented a revised interpretation aimed at promoting attacking play and favouring more scoring chances. There has been widespread frustration in football over what constitutes offside, with some players being punished for the most minimal conditions.
However, the attempt has been given the green light by the International Football Association Board and will start in the Canadian Premier League from April 4. The CPL confirmed on Thursday that under the new approach, an attacking player will only be ruled offside if there is a clear gap, or “daylight”, between the attacker and the defender.
This means that the attacker will be considered sidelined if any part of the body that can legally score with is at or behind the penultimate defender.
When the news broke, Wenger said, “This is an important pilot.”
“By testing this new interpretation in a professional league, we can better understand its impact, including improving clarity and flow of play, as well as promoting attacking play.”
“We look forward to analyzing the results of the testing phase.”
“We thank the Canadian Premier League and the Canadian Football Association for their willingness to support FIFA with this pilot and for making their league available.”
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The CPL’s test will be conducted in collaboration with FIFA
The World Football Federation will oversee the research and evaluation framework, while also working with Canada Soccer to prepare match referees, players, and clubs.
James Johnson, head of the Canadian Premier League and CEO of Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment, said, “This is about positioning the Canadian Premier League at the forefront of innovation and contributing meaningfully to the game’s global development.”
What other changes will be introduced?
The CPL also confirmed that it will introduce FIFA-designed and IFAB-approved procedures, including “Football Video Support”, to combat time wasting and improve the efficiency of matches.
FVS will provide coaches with a set number of challenges per match, which can be used in match-deciding events such as goals, penalties, red cards, and foul identification.
The coach must give a request card to the fourth referee before the match starts.
The fourth referee will also check for any infractions in the build-up to goal, but will not replace VAR.
FIFA says that the measures are being introduced to “improve the pace of matches and reduce time waste” and that updates were provided on ongoing developments in offside-related technology and tests.
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