“More offensive and more attractive”
Infantino open to offside revolution
December 30, 2025 – 5:25 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Former coach Arsène Wenger has brought a radical change to the offside rule into play. The FIFA President thinks that’s good.
Gianni Infantino has once again brought a further development of the offside rule into play. At the World Sports Summit in Dubai, he spoke out in favor of making football “more attractive and offensive”. The new rule could mean that a player is only offside if he is positioned completely in front of the last defender.
This idea was brought to life by Fifa director Arsène Wenger and is on the agenda of the rules enforcers from the International Football Association Board (Ifab).
“We are looking at the offside rule, which has evolved over the years and currently requires the attacker to be behind the last defender or on the same level,” said Infantino: “Perhaps in the future the player will have to be completely in front of the defender to be considered offside.” The aim is to minimize interruptions in the game and promote the flow of the game.
The proposed change would therefore mean that a player would no longer be offside if only one body part, such as a leg or an arm, is in front of the defender. The next Ifab meeting at which the issue could be discussed again is scheduled for January 20 in London.