The Canadian Premier League (CPL) will be the first professional league globally to implement these new regulations. This joint effort by FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) aims to promote attacking play.

Wenger, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, has championed the new offside rule since 2020. Its core principle states that an attacking player is deemed onside if any part of their body that can score (excluding hands and arms) is level with or behind the second-to-last defender.

This means an offside offense is only called when a clear visual gap exists between the attacking player and the second-to-last defender. In contrast, the current rule deems an attacking player offside if any part of their body that can play the ball extends beyond the second-to-last defender.

Wenger's new offside rule concept. *Times*

"This is a significant trial", Wenger stated in FIFA's press release. "By testing this new interpretation in a professional league, we can better understand its impact on transparency, game tempo, and its potential to promote attacking play. We eagerly await the analytical results from this trial phase".

The former Arsenal manager also thanked the CPL and Canada Soccer for their support of FIFA, transforming the country's national league into a "testing ground" for a rule previously limited to youth competitions.

As part of the trial, the CPL will also implement the Football Video Support (FVS) system. This system allows for video review to check critical referee decisions based on a head coach's request, made by presenting a "review card" to the fourth official.

Unlike VAR, FVS does not involve a dedicated team of video assistant referees and does not automatically review incidents. Instead, each head coach will have a limited number of challenge opportunities per match for clear errors in game-changing situations, including: goals or no goals, penalty kicks or no penalty kicks, direct red cards, and mistaken identity.

According to FIFA regulations, coaches must present the challenge card to the fourth official immediately after the incident to avoid unnecessary game interruptions.

Tactical implications

As rules evolve, coaches and players will seek creative ways to gain an advantage. With the new offside rule, the balance of advantage shifts toward attacking players. Consequently, the CPL could be the first league to introduce new defensive strategies.

"I think the biggest question is how defenses will cope and at what moments they can maintain their aggressiveness", commented Bobby Smyrniotis, head coach of Forge FC in Canada's national league. "With VAR, you have a 'safety net' when playing on that fine margin. Now, that margin has been given to the striker".

"Will this aggressive element create more space between the lines? These are the subtle nuances we want to observe. In the initial phase, coaches will begin to experiment and adjust. It will be interesting to see how defenses adapt, as we all know that just half a meter of advantage for a striker makes a huge difference", Smyrniotis emphasized.

Player opinions on the new rule are divided. Bradley Kamdem, a full-back for Cavalry FC in the CPL, joked, "Honestly, they should probably change my clean sheet bonus clause. I'll have to discuss this with the club's CEO. This is certainly a major change. As a defender, I prefer a stricter offside rule. This new rule could lead to more high-scoring matches, which I'm not thrilled about, but it might be more exciting for the fans".

By Hoang Thong (according to BBC Sport)