Key Takeaways
- Alejandro Diaz scored the first goal allowed under the new ‘daylight’ offside rule.
- The Canadian Premier League is the only top division testing the rule this season.
- Results of the trial could lead to a global rule change by the 2027-28 season.
Pacific FC striker Alejandro Diaz wrote a new chapter in football history on Saturday when he netted the first-ever goal permitted under the experimental ‘daylight’ offside rule. His strike helped Pacific FC earn a 2-2 draw against Halifax Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League.
Under normal laws the goal would have been disallowed, but the Canadian league is running a special trial with FIFA this season. The new rule says an attacker is onside only if there is clear space between him and the second-last defender when the ball is played.
The idea, pushed for years by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger in his FIFA role, aims to end tight offside calls and give more chances to attackers. Critics fear it may tilt the game too far forwards.
Canada’s top flight, which does not use VAR, is the first senior league to test the change. Youth events in Italy and the Netherlands ran smaller trials last year. Data from the Canadian season will reach the International Football Association Board by December. If members like what they see, the rule could roll out worldwide for the 2027-28 European campaign.