The Canadian Premier League (CPL) will be the first professional league to test Arsene Wenger’s “daylight” offside rule when its new season begins in April.
The “daylight” concept, a change intended to improve game flow and encourage attacking play, will be tested in this FIFA-led study that has been approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
According to the new method, an attacking player will only be deemed offside if there is “daylight”—a clean space between the attacker and the defender.
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As long as one of the attacker’s scoring-capable body parts—not their hands or arms—is in line with or behind the second-to-last defender, they will be ruled onside.
The Statement
“By introducing a clearer visual threshold, the trial is aimed at restoring a greater attacking advantage and boosting the flow of matches,” say FIFA.
Arsene Wenger, who is FIFA’s chief of global football development and has been pushing the new offside rule, has described the trial as an “important pilot”.
“By testing this new interpretation in a professional competition, we can better understand its impact, including in terms of improving clarity and the flow of the game and promoting attacking play,” he said.
“We look forward to analysing the results of the trial phase. We thank the Canadian Premier League and the Canadian Soccer Association for their willingness to support FIFA with this pilot and for providing their competition.”
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