In Depth
An interactive companion to Law 11

Offside, completely explained

The whole rule comes down to one frozen instant: the moment a teammate plays the ball. Step through the scenarios to see every wrinkle of Law 11 in motion, then build your own situations in the sandbox.

Build your own offside situation

Drag the players, the keeper and the ball, then freeze the moment of the pass to see who is on and who is off — and prove that nothing after that moment changes the call.

Drag anyone, including the ball and the keeper. The offside line is always the deepest of three things: the 2nd-last opponent, the ball, and the halfway line. Watch the label on the line change as you drag. When your picture is set, press the button to freeze “the moment the ball is played”, then keep dragging to prove to your audience that nothing after that moment matters.

BLUE ATTACKS THIS WAY ▶2nd-lastballhalfwayOFFSIDE LINE · set by 2nd-last opponent (#4)8passer9112451keeperONSIDEONSIDEassistant referee