March 31 – The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is set to become the testing ground for one of football’s most debated potential rule changes, with FIFA confirming the league will trial an alternative offside law from the 2026 season.
Approved by IFAB, the pilot will see a shift towards the so-called “daylight” interpretation of offside – long championed by FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger.
Under the revised approach, attackers will be deemed onside if any playable part of their body is in line with the second-to-last defender. An offside offence will only be called where there is clear separation between attacker and defender, effectively restoring a margin of advantage to the attacking side.
“This is an important pilot,” said Wenger. “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. 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.”
The CPL are pushing that the move is as much strategic as it is experimental, with James Johnson – Commissioner of the Canadian Premier League and Group CEO of Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment – hoping that it will position the league within FIFA’s wider push to modernise aspects of the game.
“This is about positioning the Canadian Premier League at the forefront of innovation and contributing meaningfully to the global evolution of the game,” said James Johnson. “By working closely with FIFA and IFAB, we are proud to play a role in shaping the future of football while continuing to build a competition that reflects our ambition here in Canada.”
The offside trial will be introduced alongside Football Video Support (FVS), a lighter-touch alternative to VAR that allows coaches to trigger a limited number of reviews per match, and a series of new time-management measures aimed at speeding up play.
With data collection and analysis central to the process, the CPL’s 2026 campaign will effectively double as a live testing environment – one that could yet influence how the offside law is applied at the very top of the game.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]