FIFA World Cup 2022: What is 'Offside'? Key football rule explained

Offside, the term is nothing new to football fans, most hardcore fans consider it as a means of curbing the attacking teams from scoring freely, but to someone who's new to the sport, it can be a little complex to get your head around. The FIFA World Cup 2022 has seen semi-automated offside technology being in Qatar, which is an upgrade to the current tech. 

The semi-automated offside technology shows the difference between two players, and exactly how much space there was between them, when the offside call was made, with the help of multiple cameras at the venue where the match is being played. 

In truth, the offside rule at first was pretty simple, but constant revisions evolving with the sport, have seen plenty of controversies surrounding the rule. Even though offside plays a key role in the ways a certain team attacks and defends, it's still a little difficult to understand, but we've got you covered. 

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What is the 'Offside' in football? Key rule explained

Offside basically means that players from a team won't be allowed to camp in front of their opponent's box. Imagine if one of the players from a team sets off and stays in the attacking third of their, the opposition defence will have to keep changing their positions to curb the attacker. Offside is a method to the game fair for both sides. It basically means that an attacker has to stay behind the last defender when a pass is made to him. 

For example, when X plays a ball to Y, Y must stay behind the last defender Z, or else the third official will blow the whistle for offside. Also, the offside stands only when the attacker is in the opposition team's half, not in their own half. 

The offside rule doesn't apply to throw-ins, but it does apply to other dead-ball situations like corners and free-kicks. 

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According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the definition of the offside law is: "a player is in an offside position if, any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half (excluding the halfway line), and any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent." 

Why Offside plays such a key role in football?

Attacking teams utilise the rule to keep a player in line with the last defender, and they can launch the ball forward to keep the defensive line deep. On the contrary, defensive teams keep a high-line or ask their defenders to stay up on the football ground, to give less space to attacking players in their half. 

Certain teams play a very high-line, like Saudi Arabia did for example against Argentina, in their famous FIFA World Cup 2022 triumph, as they regularly catch Lautaro Martinez and Messi behind their last line on defence. 

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Thus the offside rule can cause plenty of controversies, with a player's intent on making a move for the ball also counting as a potential factor in offside. That's what sometimes makes the rule dubious, but it's simply put a simple method to stop players from roaming freely between the last defender and the goalkeeper.