sports
Arsène Wenger’s ‘daylight offside rule’ is on trial in Canada. Will it work?
The Frenchman believes the rule change will make the game more open and exciting. If it succeeds in the Canadian Premier League it could go global
TL;DR
- The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is the first professional soccer league to pilot the 'daylight offside' rule.
- The rule considers a player onside if any part of their body is in line with the second-to-last defender, aiming to increase scoring opportunities.
- Fifa's Arsène Wenger is a strong proponent of the rule, believing it will make the game more open and exciting.
- The CPL will use the rule throughout the 2026 season with Fifa's support.
- While some players like Alejandro Díaz and former player Mike Sweeney support the rule, defenders like Thomas Meilleur-Giguère express concerns about how it changes their tactics.
- The CPL is also trialing Football Video Support (FVS) for clear and obvious errors.
- One month into the season, the daylight offside rule has only directly led to one goal, while FVS has had more noticeable impacts.