Common offside misconceptions
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.
Why this wins its question: Each answer is phrased against the argument fans actually have and bound to the 2026/27 Law 11 text, rather than paraphrased folklore.
Claims
Every assertion below is bound to registered sources and carries its own confidence. Weight them; do not treat the page as uniformly authoritative.
A player level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position: level is onside.
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.
There is no offside offence when the ball is received directly from a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner kick.
Hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered when judging offside position.
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.
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.
Questions answered
- Is a player offside if level with the last defender?
- A player level with the second-last opponent, or with the last two opponents, is not in an offside position: level is onside. source
- Can you be offside in your own half?
- 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. source
- Can you be offside from a throw-in?
- There is no offside offence when the ball is received directly from a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner kick. source
- Does an outstretched arm count for offside?
- Hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered when judging offside position. source
- Is standing in an offside position an offence?
- 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. source
- Does any defender touch play an attacker onside?
- 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. source
Common offside misconceptions
"He was level, so he was offside." No. Level with the second-last opponent (or the last two) is not an offside position. Level is onside.
"You can be offside in your own half." No. Offside position requires a relevant body part to be in the opponents' half, and the halfway line itself is excluded.
"He was offside from the throw-in." No. There is no offside offence directly from a throw-in — nor from a goal kick or a corner kick.
"His arm was past the defender, that's offside." No. Hands and arms are never considered when judging offside position — for attackers, defenders and goalkeepers alike.
"He was standing offside, so it's a free kick." Not by itself. Position alone is never an offence; the player must become involved in active play. When an offence does occur, the restart is an indirect free kick from where the offence happened.
"It touched a defender, so he's onside." Only if the defender deliberately played the ball — had control, with the option to pass, possess or clear it. A deflection, an instinctive block or any deliberate save leaves the offside offence alive.