GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Does an opponent’s touch reset offside after a deliberate play, deflection or save?
Not every opponent touch resets offside. An attacker who was in an offside position when a teammate played the ball is not considered to have gained an advantage from an opponent's deliberate play, including deliberate handball, unless that opponent made a deliberate save. A rebound or deflection is not deliberate play for this purpose. The attacker must also become involved in active play before being penalised.
For Football fans comparing an opponent’s controlled clearance, an instinctive deflection and a save in an offside sequence. · Updated
Start at the teammate's touch
Offside position is assessed when a teammate first makes contact with the ball. If the ball is thrown by a goalkeeper, use the last point of contact for that throw. Being in an offside position is not by itself an offence; the player must later interfere with play, interfere with an opponent, or gain an advantage in a way covered by Law 11.
A defender touching the ball later does not replace the teammate's reference moment. The question is what kind of opponent action occurred and whether the attacker in the earlier offside position then became actively involved.
A controlled play may count even when it goes wrong
For a non-handball action to qualify as deliberate play, the opponent must have control with a possibility of passing, taking possession or clearing the ball. An inaccurate or unsuccessful attempt can still qualify if the player had that control.
The Law's indicators include whether the ball came from far enough away for the player to see it, whether it was moving quickly, whether its direction was unexpected, whether the player had time to coordinate rather than react by instinctive stretching or jumping, and whether it was on the ground rather than in the air. These indicators inform the decision; no single one replaces the control question.
A ricochet and a save are different from a controlled play
A rebound or deflection off a post, crossbar, match official or opponent does not create a new deliberate-play reset. Nor does a deliberate save by an opponent. A deliberate save can be made by any opponent. It means stopping or trying to stop a ball going into, or very close to, the goal with a part of the body other than the hands or arms, except that a goalkeeper inside the goalkeeper's own penalty area may use the hands or arms.
A deliberate handball is included in the opponent-play clause, but it is not the same as a deliberate save. Do not treat every intentional movement or every touch as controlled play.
Which edition this guide uses
Edition note: This guide follows the IFAB's current online Laws of the Game 2026/27, checked 15 October 2026. Circular 32 dates the edition's effect to 1 July 2026. Competitions that had already started may adopt it earlier or no later than their next competition; the adoption of any particular competition is not established here. Circular 34 explains that Circular 33 changes appeared online but missed the printed book's production schedule. This guide uses the current online text and does not claim that each clause is new in 2026/27 or that a trial applies. No alternative offside trial is applied here; the adoption of any trial in a particular competition has not been verified.
Three fictional opponent actions
Assume an attacker is in an offside position at the relevant teammate touch and later tries to play the ball. In a fictional first branch, a defender sees a slow ground pass from a distance, has time to coordinate and attempts a clearance that travels the wrong way; the failed clearance may still be deliberate play. In a second branch, the ball arrives quickly from an unexpected direction and the defender makes only an instinctive, limited deflection; that touch is not the same controlled play. In a third, a defender uses a foot to try to stop a ball that is heading into or very close to goal, and it rebounds to the attacker; a deliberate save does not reset offside. The examples are stipulated and do not judge a real line or match.
Related questions
Does an unsuccessful clearance reset offside?
It can. If the defender had control and the possibility of clearing the ball, a failed or inaccurate clearance may still be deliberate play.
Does an accidental deflection reset offside?
No. A rebound or deflection is treated differently from an opponent's controlled deliberate play.
Can a deliberate save reset offside?
No. An attacker in an offside position can be penalised for gaining an advantage from a ball deliberately saved by any opponent.
Is standing in an offside position enough for an offence?
No. The player must become involved in active play under one of Law 11's listed tests.
Sources and further reading
- The IFAB — Laws of the Game 2026/27, Law 11: Offside; 11.1–11.2; complete deliberate-play indicators, save definition and timing footnote; 11.3 boundary. Current online body checked 2026-10-15; a separate day-level body publication date was not established.
- The IFAB Circular 32, dated 2026-03-31, p. 3: 2026/27 effective date and transition.
- The IFAB Circular 33, dated 2026-05-19: additional 2026/27 changes, read for edition control.
- The IFAB Circular 34, dated 2026-07-27, pp. 2 and 4: online/printed materials and trial-permission controls.