The Canadian Premier League (CPL) has become the first professional soccer league to trial the 'daylight offside rule', a change long advocated by Fifa's Arsène Wenger. The rule, which deems a player onside if any part of their body is level with the second-to-last defender, aims to reduce fine-margin offside calls and increase scoring opportunities.
Pacific FC striker Alejandro Díaz scored the first professional goal under the new rule in a 2-2 draw with the Halifax Wanderers. 'I love the rule because it gives you a little more advantage to score,' Díaz said. The trial, supported by Fifa, will run throughout the 2026 season.
CPL commissioner James Johnson believes the change brings clarity to a complicated rule. 'Even for sophisticated football people, offside is a complicated rule,' he said. 'There's more goals, and that's what fans like.' The league has also introduced other innovations, including time limits on substitutions and video review requests.
However, not everyone is convinced. Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, a Wanderers defender, argued: 'There's an art to being on the same line as a back line... now you're losing that.' The International Football Association Board (Ifab) remains noncommittal, despite Fifa president Gianni Infantino's support for an overhaul.
