While the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup has been pretty thrilling to watch, as millions of fans have attended matches across North America, with TV ratings skyrocketing, there's been one common complaint:
The offsides rule.
The rule is pretty straightforward: an offensive player cannot have any part of his body ahead of a defensive player when a ball is pushed forward into the offensive team's half of the field.
However, non-soccer fans remain annoyed by the rule, as it's taken away a bunch of exciting goals during the World Cup. It's also somewhat hard for some fans to follow, as it's not exactly the same as other sports.
World Cup.
Popular U.S. comedian, invoking his famous "Saturday Night Live" sketch in which he jokes about the founding rules of America, made fun of soccer's rules on X, formerly known as Twitter, during the World Cup.
Bargatze taunts soccer rules during World Cup
Bargatze responded to a tweet mimicking his famous "SNL" sketch.
"But a goal will not count if a player is offsides."
"When is a player offsides?"
"Whenever anything exciting happens."
Bargatze saw the tweet and responded: "Nobody knows."
How FIFA defines the offsides rule
Here's how the rule is defined, per The FA:
A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:
- interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
- interfering with an opponent by:
preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or challenging an opponent for the ball or clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball
*The first point of contact of the ‘play’ or ‘touch’ of the ball should be used; however, when the ball is thrown by the goalkeeper, the last point of contact should be used.or
- gaining an advantage by playing the ball or interfering with an opponent when it has:
rebounded or been deflected off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent been deliberately saved by any opponent
A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately played* the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent.
*‘Deliberate play’ (excluding deliberate handball) is when a player has control of the ball with the possibility of:
- passing the ball to a team-mate;
- gaining possession of the ball; or
- clearing the ball (e.g. by kicking or heading it)
If the pass, attempt to gain possession or clearance by the player in control of the ball is inaccurate or unsuccessful, this does not negate the fact that the player ‘deliberately played’ the ball.
The following criteria should be used, as appropriate, as indicators that a player was in control of the ball and, as a result, can be considered to have ‘deliberately played’ the ball:
- The ball travelled from distance and the player had a clear view of it
- The ball was not moving quickly
- The direction of the ball was not unexpected
- The player had time to coordinate their body movement, i.e. it was not a case of instinctive stretching or jumping, or a movement that achieved limited
contact/control - A ball moving on the ground is easier to play than a ball in the air
A ‘save’ is when a player stops, or attempts to stop, a ball which is going into or very close to the goal with any part of the body except the hands/arms (unless the goalkeeper within the penalty area).
In situations where:
- a player moving from, or standing in, an offside position is in the way of an opponent and interferes with the movement of the opponent towards the ball this is an offside offence if it impacts on the ability of the opponent to play or challenge for the ball; if the player moves into the way of an opponent and impedes the opponent's progress (e.g blocks the opponent) the offence should be penalised under Law 12
- a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence
- an offence is committed against a player in an offside position who is already playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the offside offence is penalised as it has occurred before the foul challenge
