Arsène Wenger wants to rewrite offside – but is facing more push back

Despite Arsène Wenger, in his role as FIFA’s global director of football development, having spent many months promoting a significant change to the offside law – and with early signs suggesting it was progressing smoothly – the proposal may now be losing momentum ahead of any swift rollout. FIFA, under Gianni Infantino, and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for the laws of the game, will have to conduct further trials in the near future.

According to reporting by journalist Martyn Ziegler in The Times, the so-called “Wenger Law” is facing opposition from UEFA and England’s Football Association, which believe the change would have a major impact on how football is played. Their concern is that it would encourage teams to defend much deeper to avoid exposure in open space.

The proposal from the former Arsenal manager would mean a player is only considered offside if their entire body is ahead of the defender. That, critics argue, could prompt coaches to sit back more conservatively and take fewer risks when attacking the opponent’s goal.

Britain’s football associations were the first to voice their dissatisfaction, with the European governing body later backing that stance. Their preferred solution would be to modify Wenger’s original idea, so that offside is only called when the attacker’s torso is completely ahead of the defender’s, disregarding feet, legs and head when making the assessment.

Wenger’s offside just moves the line

Crucially, shifting where the offside line is drawn would not eliminate controversy or debate around marginal decisions. Even if the law were simplified in theory, officials, players and fans would still argue over frame selection, body positioning and the precise moment a pass is played. The discussion would simply move from toes and shoulders to torsos and silhouettes, with technology still required to interpret fine margins that are often imperceptible at full speed.

Nor would deeper defensive lines necessarily reduce the frequency of contentious calls. As teams adjust tactically and space compresses closer to goal, offside decisions would still occur in crowded areas, under intense pressure and with little room for error. The result could be a different version of the same problem – fewer high lines, but the same arguments, replayed through a new lens and judged by a different, yet still debatable, reference point.

Gary Lineker gives his thoughts on minute 17 here.

World Cup 2026 will not use the “Wenger Law”

Regardless of the eventual outcome, the Wenger Law will not be in force at the 2026 World Cup in North America. IFAB is unwilling to approve such a fundamental change without extensive testing, and there is also a feeling that it would be unfair to defenders, given how little time they would have to adapt.

In recent days, FIFA has announced that it will scan every player competing at the 2026 tournament, allowing the semi-automated offside system to deliver greater precision when reviewing marginal decisions.

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