Could Canada's daylight offside trial fix World Cup VAR?
Frustrated by World Cup goals ruled out for a stray toe or shoulder? Canada's Premier League is trialling a daylight offside rule with FIFA: a player is offside only when a clear gap separates them from the second-last defender. The CPL says 17 disallowed World Cup goals, including Cristiano Ronaldo's, would have stood. Semi-automated VAR has made the offside rule feel cruelly precise. A Canadian pilot may offer a fix fans can actually see.
Key Takeaways
- The Canadian Premier League has trialled Arsène Wenger's daylight offside rule with FIFA since April 2026.
- CPL analysis found 17 World Cup goals disallowed through the Round of 32 would have stood under the trial rule.
- Portugal-Croatia alone had two such calls, including Ronaldo's and Petar Sucic's 80th-minute effort.
- FIFA and IFAB have not approved a global change; the CPL season is only halfway through.
- The trial aims to make offside fairer, clearer, and more attacking-friendly.
Why are World Cup fans angry about the offside rule?
VAR and semi-automated offside technology can flag attackers for margins smaller than a toe or shoulder. Colombia's Davinson Sánchez had a would-be stoppage-time winner against Portugal ruled out that way, reigniting debate about whether the current law punishes attackers for gains that barely exist.
Under today's rule, a player is offside if any playable body part extends beyond the second-last defender when the ball is played. Broadcast replays make those calls look microscopic, even when officials apply the letter of the law correctly.
How does Canada's daylight offside trial work?
The Canadian Premier League is piloting Wenger's proposal in the 2026 season, working with FIFA on research and evaluation. Since April, CPL matches have used the daylight interpretation: an attacker is offside only if there is visible space between them and the defender.
If any part of the body that can legally score a goal remains level with or behind the second-last defender, the player stays onside. Wenger, FIFA's chief of global football development and former Arsenal manager, pitched the change to boost attacking play and improve match flow.
Would daylight offside really change World Cup results?
On July 3, the league said 17 disallowed offside goals at the 2026 World Cup through the Round of 32 would have counted under its trial. The most recent examples came in Portugal's win over Croatia at Toronto Stadium, where each side had a goal ruled out that the CPL said would have stood.
Ronaldo's disallowed effort and Sucic's 80th-minute strike were among them. Portugal and Croatia saw four offside goals wiped in total; two would have survived daylight review. CPL executive vice-president Costa Smyrniotis, who attended the match, said the trial aims to make the rule fairer and give attackers a clearer edge.
What happens next for the offside rule?
FIFA and IFAB have not signed off on a permanent rewrite. The CPL season is only at its halfway point, so full trial data is still pending. Smyrniotis said the league's relative youth since its 2019 launch makes it willing to innovate in partnership with FIFA rather than wait on tradition.
He hopes clearer, attacker-friendly offside calls will mean more goals and better entertainment. For readers tracking how small rule tweaks reshape performance at scale, see our Longevity & Biohacking coverage. Full CPL analysis is on Reuters.