Claim about the New FIFA Offside Rule is false

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Mohamed Dauda kamara

Claim: A popular sports page, Miss Barca and Lifestyle, reported that FIFA has approved a new offside rule, under which an attacker will only be considered offside if their entire body is ahead of the defender. 

Verdict! Misleading! DUBAWA’s investigation reveals that there is no official report from FIFA or IFAB supporting the claim. Also, FIFA is not responsible for approving rules or laws in football, but IFAB is. Our review of the Laws of the Games showed no change related to the claim. 

Full Text

In 2020, Skysport reported that the International Football Association Board ruled out a new offside rule proposed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. 

According to Arsene Wenger, there will be no offside if any part of the player that can score a goal is in line with the opposing player. 

In a FIFA Statement, Wenger clarified that his objective was in line with FIFA’s in a bid to improve football.  

The current offside law found in  11 Laws of the Game,  deems a player offside if any part of their body, including head, hands,  or feet, with which they can play the ball, is ahead of the last defender or the second-last opponent.

The photo below shows how the proposed offside rule will work.  

In fact, video-assisted refereeing (VAR) has been ruling the tightest of margins in favour of or against defenders and strikers, leading to controversies in the football community. 

However, a football page, Miss Barca, and Lifestyle, claimed that FIFA has approved a new offside rule in which an attacker will only be offside if their entire body is ahead of the defender. 

The claim reads in full: “FIFA has approved a new offside rule. From now on, an attacker will only be offside if their entire body is ahead of the defender.”

A similar claim can be found here, here, and here. 

As of September 6, 2025, the claim has already gained 1.9k likes, 388 comments, and 81 shares. 

The claim has sparked mixed reactions among social media users, leading to controversies. 

Screenshot of mixed reactions. 

DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim due to its mandate to amplify truth. 

Verification

Firstly, DUBAWA conducted a Google keyword search and found that no credible news agency reported the claim. 

Secondly, our search on Inside Fifa showed no evidence of the claim. As of September 6, 2025, all news documents and press releases did not have any connection to the new offside rule. 

Although we found that in 2020, Gianni Infantino spoke about possible changes in the FIFA offside rule, stating at a press conference that there were ongoing discussions to review the offside rules, we still found no evidence supporting the claim. 

Furthermore, DUBAWA reviewed Article 11 of the Laws of the Game on the International Football Association Board (IFAB) but found no change related to the claim as of September 6, 2025. 

Our investigation showed that the current offside rule remains legal and unchanged. 

The current offside rule states: “A player is in an offside position if: any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half (excluding the halfway line) and any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.”

If the offside rule has changed at all, as claimed, it would be stipulated in the Laws of the Game, just as other recent regulations. 

According to our investigation, FIFA does not have the litigating power to approve football rules or laws, but IFAB does.

IFAB, founded in 1886 by four British football associations, such as the FA, Scottish FA, FA of Wales, and Irish, is the worldwide body responsible for developing and preserving the “Laws of the Game.” 

While IFAB has the legal mandate to develop, amend, and approve laws, FIFA has the legal right to enforce these regulations. 

FIFA also creates and revises its own set of rules, including its disciplinary code and regulations governing transfer agents. Still, these are different from the game laws approved by IFAB. 

Conclusion

Our investigation showed that FIFA has neither approved an offside rule related to the claim nor has it the litigating mandate to approve any new rule or law in football. Additionally, our review of the Laws of the Game revealed no changes related to the claim.