Soccer Offside Rule

The soccer offside rule is one of the most questioned rules in soccer when it comes to players who are just starting up or haven't spent all of their time researching soccer.

Basic Structure

Offside will be called when a player from one team passes the ball to another player on his team (usually a striker) who has only one opposing player between him and the opposing goal.

Also, you are never offsides on your side of the center line.

However, if the ball is between a player and the opposing goal when the ball is passed, even if there is only one player (or no players) between him and the goal, then offside does not apply.

The time to watch for a player being offside is the moment the ball is passed. In other words, if the player had at least two opposing players between the goal and him/herself when the ball was passed and ran past one of them to receive the ball, then offside does not apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Is offside applied on a throw in?
  A: Yes.
• Q: Is offside applied on a corner kick?
  A: No.
• Q: Is offside applied on a free kick?
  A: Yes.
• Q: Can a player dribble the ball past all of the opposing players?
  A: Yes, because the ball is called in front of the player, therefore making it between the player and the goal (even if the player uses dribbling tricks which will cause the ball to be behind him, he is still not offside).