{
  "id": "offside-misconceptions",
  "type": "faq",
  "name": "Common offside misconceptions",
  "summary": "Answers to the offside questions people actually argue about, each checked against the 2026/27 text of Law 11: level is onside, position alone is never an offence, arms never count, no offside from throw-ins, and being in your own half is safe.",
  "locale": "en",
  "tags": [
    "faq",
    "offside",
    "laws-of-the-game"
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "rel": "answers_about",
      "target": "law-11-offside"
    },
    {
      "rel": "expanded_in",
      "target": "how-offside-actually-works"
    }
  ],
  "questions": [
    "Is a player offside if level with the last defender?",
    "Can you be offside in your own half?",
    "Can you be offside from a throw-in?",
    "Does an outstretched arm count for offside?",
    "Is standing in an offside position an offence?"
  ],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": "c1",
      "text": "A player level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position: level is onside.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-11-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.97
    },
    {
      "id": "c2",
      "text": "A player cannot be in an offside position in their own half: offside position requires a relevant body part to be in the opponents' half, excluding the halfway line.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-11-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.97
    },
    {
      "id": "c3",
      "text": "There is no offside offence when the ball is received directly from a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner kick.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-11-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.98
    },
    {
      "id": "c4",
      "text": "Hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered when judging offside position.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-11-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.97
    },
    {
      "id": "c5",
      "text": "Standing in an offside position is not an offence; an offence requires involvement in active play, and the sanction is an indirect free kick, not a direct one.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-11-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.97
    },
    {
      "id": "c6",
      "text": "A touch by a defender does not automatically play an attacker onside: only a deliberate play (control with the possibility of passing, gaining possession or clearing) resets offside, and a deliberate save never does.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-11-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.94
    }
  ],
  "takeaways": [],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "q": "Is a player offside if level with the last defender?",
      "claim": "c1"
    },
    {
      "q": "Can you be offside in your own half?",
      "claim": "c2"
    },
    {
      "q": "Can you be offside from a throw-in?",
      "claim": "c3"
    },
    {
      "q": "Does an outstretched arm count for offside?",
      "claim": "c4"
    },
    {
      "q": "Is standing in an offside position an offence?",
      "claim": "c5"
    },
    {
      "q": "Does any defender touch play an attacker onside?",
      "claim": "c6"
    }
  ],
  "evidence_tier": "primary",
  "evidence": {
    "level": "industry_observation",
    "source_types": [
      "industry_observation"
    ]
  },
  "moat_flag": false,
  "winning_edge": "Each answer is phrased against the argument fans actually have and bound to the 2026/27 Law 11 text, rather than paraphrased folklore.",
  "confidence": 0.96,
  "last_verified": "2026-08-08",
  "body": "# Common offside misconceptions\n\n**\"He was level, so he was offside.\"** No. Level with the second-last\nopponent (or the last two) is not an offside position. Level is onside.\n\n**\"You can be offside in your own half.\"** No. Offside position requires a\nrelevant body part to be in the opponents' half, and the halfway line\nitself is excluded.\n\n**\"He was offside from the throw-in.\"** No. There is no offside offence\ndirectly from a throw-in — nor from a goal kick or a corner kick.\n\n**\"His arm was past the defender, that's offside.\"** No. Hands and arms are\nnever considered when judging offside position — for attackers, defenders\nand goalkeepers alike.\n\n**\"He was standing offside, so it's a free kick.\"** Not by itself. Position\nalone is never an offence; the player must become involved in active play.\nWhen an offence does occur, the restart is an indirect free kick from where\nthe offence happened.\n\n**\"It touched a defender, so he's onside.\"** Only if the defender\n*deliberately played* the ball — had control, with the option to pass,\npossess or clear it. A deflection, an instinctive block or any deliberate\nsave leaves the offside offence alive.",
  "canonical_url": "https://futbolatlas.app/k/offside-misconceptions",
  "api_url": "https://futbolatlas.app/api/k/offside-misconceptions.json",
  "jsonld": {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "name": "Common offside misconceptions",
    "description": "Answers to the offside questions people actually argue about, each checked against the 2026/27 text of Law 11: level is onside, position alone is never an offence, arms never count, no offside from throw-ins, and being in your own half is safe.",
    "url": "https://futbolatlas.app/k/offside-misconceptions",
    "license": "https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html",
    "dateModified": "2026-08-08",
    "citation": [
      {
        "@type": "CreativeWork",
        "name": "Law 11 — Offside (Laws of the Game 2026/27)",
        "url": "https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/offside/"
      }
    ],
    "@type": "FAQPage",
    "mainEntity": [
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "Is a player offside if level with the last defender?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "A player level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position: level is onside."
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "Can you be offside in your own half?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "A player cannot be in an offside position in their own half: offside position requires a relevant body part to be in the opponents' half, excluding the halfway line."
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "Can you be offside from a throw-in?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "There is no offside offence when the ball is received directly from a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner kick."
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "Does an outstretched arm count for offside?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "Hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered when judging offside position."
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "Is standing in an offside position an offence?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "Standing in an offside position is not an offence; an offence requires involvement in active play, and the sanction is an indirect free kick, not a direct one."
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "Does any defender touch play an attacker onside?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "A touch by a defender does not automatically play an attacker onside: only a deliberate play (control with the possibility of passing, gaining possession or clearing) resets offside, and a deliberate save never does."
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}