Atletico Ottawa's Ballou Tabla (13) raises the North Star Cup following Atletico Ottawa’s victory over Cavalry FC in extra time during the Canadian Premier League finals soccer action in Ottawa, on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

By The Canadian Press

Canadian Premier League to trial new ‘daylight’ offside rule

Mar 31, 2026 | 3:05 AM

TORONTO — The Canadian Premier League is set to trial a new offside rule when its season kicks off this weekend.

Under the alternate rule, an attacking player will only be ruled offside if there is a gap — or “daylight” — between them and the second-to-last defender.

If at least one part of the attacker’s body that can be used to score — not their hands or arms — is in line with or behind the defender, they will be considered onside.

The league says in a statement that the trial aims to restore a greater attacking advantage and boost the flow of matches by introducing a “clearer visual threshold.”

The trial, which will last through the 2026 season, is about improving the entertainment value of the game, said Costa Smyrniotis, the league’s executive vice president.

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“There’s going to be challenges,” he said Tuesday. “But ultimately, what it leads to is promoting attacking football. And attacking football, if you and I are in the stands, we’re probably going to enjoy that more than something else, right? So that’s a good thing.”

The CPL is the first professional league to use the alternate offside rule on a trial basis and is working closely with FIFA on the project.

“I think that was a big vote of confidence from (FIFA) to say, ‘Let’s do this together. You’re the right league, you’re the right space, you’re the right level, you’re the right competition level, entertainment level,'” Smyrniotis said. “Because ultimately, what it comes back to is improving the game.”

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA’s head of global football development, proposed the rule to the International Football Association Board in January.

The league also announced Tuesday that it is introducing “Football Video Support” this season, giving officials the ability to review “key incidents” using broadcast footage.

Each team will be limited to two video review requests per match, and all goals will be checked for “clear and obvious” offences that may have been committed by the attacking team.

The FVS system differs from the video assistant referee technology used in many leagues, including Major League Soccer, in that FVS, does not have dedicated video match officials and reviews are initiated by the team’s head coaches.

The changes show that the CPL is innovative, said commissioner James Johnson.

“It says that we are forward-looking. It says that we are fan-centric, and ultimately we want a great product, right?” he said. “That’s what this rule is about. It’s about more offensive play, more goals, more clarity around the laws of the game.”

The CPL’s eighth season begins Saturday with Forge FC hosting reigning champions Atletico Ottawa in Hamilton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2026.

The Canadian Press