The Canadian Premier League to test a revolutionary offside rule starting in April

With the start of the new season on April 4, the Canadian Premier League will become the testing ground for one of the most talked-about experiments in modern football. Supported by FIFA and approved by IFAB, a new interpretation of the offside rule—known as the “Wenger Rule”—will be trialed in official matches.

The initiative aims to increase the entertainment value of the game and boost attacking play. The key idea is to change how offside is determined: an attacker will now be considered offside only if their entire body is ahead of the second-last defender. If any part of the body capable of scoring is in line with the defender, the position will be deemed onside.

The concept’s author, former Arsenal head coach and FIFA’s Head of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger, noted that the experiment will help assess the impact of the change on match dynamics and simplify the interpretation of controversial situations.

In addition to the rule change, the league will also introduce the Football Video Support (FVS) system. Unlike traditional VAR, it does not involve continuous video monitoring of all situations. Instead, coaches will have a limited number of opportunities per match to request reviews of key moments, such as penalties, red cards, or goals.

It is expected that the combination of the new offside rule and the simplified video support system will speed up the game, reduce interruptions, and make football more understandable for fans.

If the experiment proves successful, the “Wenger Offside” could be implemented globally, becoming one of the most significant rule changes in recent decades.