March 31 (Reuters) - The Canadian Premier League (CPL) will become the first professional competition to stage an official pilot of the alternative offside law during the 2026 season, the league said in a statement on Tuesday.
The revised interpretation, proposed by former Arsenal manager and current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger, is aimed at boosting attacking play and improving the flow in competitive matches, the statement added.
Under the new approach, an attacking player will be ruled offside only if there is clear gap, or “daylight”, between the attacker and the defender, meaning the attacker will be considered onside if any part of the body that can legally score is level with or behind the second-to-last defender.
“This is an important pilot,” Wengersaid.
“By testing this new interpretation in a professional competition, we can better understand its impact, including in terms of improving clarity and the flow of the game and promoting attacking play."
The CPL said the trial will be conducted in close collaboration with FIFA, which will oversee the research and evaluation framework, while working with Canada Soccer to prepare match officials, players and clubs.
“This is about positioning the Canadian Premier League at the forefront of innovation and contributing meaningfully to the global evolution of the game,” said James Johnson, commissioner of the Canadian Premier League and group CEO of Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment.
Alongside the offside experiment, the CPL will also introduce FIFA-designed and IFAB-approved measures, including Football Video Support, aimed at cutting down time-wasting and improving match efficiency.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
