Why CP Football has no offside rule — and what it changes

For new fans of Cerebral Palsy (CP) Football, one rule that differentiates it from the 11-a-side game probably stands out more than most.

Offside is one of those rules football fans seem to love explaining to anyone who has never watched the game. In CP Football, there is no such need.

With the IFCPF Men’s and Women’s World Cups set to kick off this October in the United States, we wanted to explain why one of the staples of the traditional football rulebook is nowhere to be seen in ours — and what that means for the game you see on the pitch.

Pitch size is a major part of the answer.

With six outfield players operating on a 70 x 50 metre pitch in the men’s game, and four in the women’s game playing on a smaller 50 x 30 metre pitch, removing offside allows players to make full use of the space available.

It means forwards can stay higher up the pitch, stretching the opposition and creating space for teammates underneath them.

It can also create opportunities for FT1 players — those whose impairment has the greatest impact on football activity — to become an attacking outlet, giving defenders another problem to solve.

And when a team is prepared to go long, it can be devastating.

Scotland provided a perfect example against Germany at the 2025 IFCPF Men’s European Championship.

Despite being under pressure, Scottish goalkeeper Christopher Moore managed to send his clearance upfield and find Martin Hickman on the right. Hickman watched the ball over his shoulder, let it bounce and lifted a half-volley towards goal.

Germany goalkeeper Tobias Mühlbauer had rushed from his line to close down the possibility of a shot and was caught out of position. Meanwhile, Dean Thornton had escaped the attention of the German defence and found himself in exactly the right place to tap the ball into an unguarded net.

It was a goal made possible by awareness, movement and quick decision-making — but also by a rule that changes how both teams have to think about the space in front of them.

Without an offside line to protect them, defenders cannot simply step forward and leave an attacker stranded. They have to remain alert to the player sitting high, while still deciding when to press the ball and when to protect the space behind.

For attackers, the possibilities open up in the other direction.

They can stretch the pitch, occupy defenders, create space underneath and turn a goalkeeper’s clearance into an attacking opportunity within seconds.

That is the important thing about CP Football’s offside rule — or lack of one.

It isn’t simply a rule removed from the 11-a-side game to make CP Football work. It helps make CP Football what it is: a fast, open game with its own tactical problems to solve.

And when the World Cups begin in Atlanta this October, watch the space behind the defence.

There might not be an offside line. But there is plenty happening either side of where it would have been.