What the Law says
A player is in an offside position if any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
Active involvement
Being in an offside position is not an offence. The offence occurs only when the player becomes actively involved by:
- Interfering with play
- Interfering with an opponent
- Gaining an advantage from that position
VAR and the semi-automated line
Since 2022 the semi-automated offside system uses limb-tracking to place a 3D line at the moment of the pass. Margins under 5 cm are still valid strikes.