On Monday, the Canadian Premier League announced some significant changes to the league's rules as part of its 2026 competitions update.
In collaboration with FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the CPL is trialling a new alternative offside law in the 2026 season, beginning April 4.
As part of the trial, the league is also implementing Football Video Support (FVS), a new replay technology, to allow match officials to review key incidents in matches.
Here is everything you need to know about key Canadian Premier League rule changes ahead of the 2026 season:
What is the new alternative offside rule the CPL is trialing?
In partnership with FIFA, the Canadian Premier League is trialling an alternative offside rule for the 2026 season.
The current, widely-implemented version of the offside rule states that a player is considered to be offside if:
-
Any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half (excluding the halfway line), and
-
Any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
The alternative law which will be trialled in the CPL in 2026 amends the rule, states that a player will only be considered offside if:
-
The player’s head, body and feet are wholly in the opponents’ half, and
-
The player’s head, body and feet are wholly nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
For both versions of the rule, the hands and arms of all players, including goalkeepers, are not considered.
What is Football Video Support (FVS)?
FVS is a new replay technology system introduced in March 2023 that is a natural extension of Video Assistant Referees (VAR).
Unlike VAR, there are no video match officials watching the game live to review potential clear and obvious errors.
Instead, reviews are initiated by each team's head coach. Each team is given two review cards they can use during match. An additional review request is added should the match go to extra time.
Once a review is requested, the fourth official will signal the referee to come watch replay footage at the field-side referee review area.
How does a head coach request an FVS review?
Immediately after an incident that they want reviewed, the head coach makes the motion of twirling their finger in the air, before handing a request review card to the fourth official.
The fourth official then alerts the head referee, who comes over to review the footage. Should it be determined that a clear and obvious error was made on the initial call, the referee will hand back the card to the coach. If no error was made, the team loses that challenge.
What can be reviewed by FVS?
FVS can be used in the event of a clear and obvious error related to four categories:
- Goals / No Goals
- Penalty decisions
- Direct red cards (and wrongfully awarded second yellow cards).
- Mistaken identity (when the wrong player receives a card).
When a coach makes a review request, they must identify which of these categories they want to review.
Additionally, the fourth official will watch the replay of all goals scored and alert the head referee should they determine a clear and obvious offence was committed by the attacking team, which led directly to the goal. The fourth official will also check goals that were disallowed by the head referee to confirm that it was the correct decision.
Coaches can still challenge that decision, which would prompt the head referee to come over and review.
