Arsene Wenger’s Daylight Offside Rule Requires Adjustment for CPL Clubs, says Inter Toronto’s Mauro Eustáquio

Inter Toronto FC head coach Mauro Eustáquio shared his thoughts on Arsene Wenger’s daylight offside rule. 

The Canadian Premier League (CPL) became the first professional league to adopt the rule on a trial basis for the 2026 season. 

Wenger’s daylight offside rule encourages more attacking play by ruling a player offside only if there is clear daylight between the attacker and the last defender. 

The legendary former Arsenal manager’s rule could in turn, affect a club’s defensive tactics. 

So far, Eustáquio believes it has had a positive impact. The Inter Toronto head coach acknowledged that there would be an adjustment period before coaches and players become accustomed to the daylight offside rule in effect.

“I think there is an adjustment, but I think a lot of it has to do with passing confidence to both sides of the goal,” Eustáquio exclusively told SportsBoom.us. 

“I think as a defender, with the new daylight offside rule, they’re a little bit more hesitant. They’re always onside.”

“They’re thinking, ‘How can I protect myself? How can I protect the goal? How can I keep clean sheets?’ Naturally, they are thinking about just dropping that down the lines.”

“On the attacking end, players are like, ‘Well, I’m going to be closer to that end line. I’m going to be asking for balls behind the backline.’ It’s just finding a balance of what the team wants, what the team needs, and then just sticking to it,” he said. 

With football federations gathering for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, whether the daylight offside rule should be adopted more widely is bound to be a major talking point.

ATTACKING PLAYERS BENEFIT

Eustáquio explained how attacking players benefit more from Wenger’s offside rule than defenders tasked with marking them. 

“The reality is, yes, the attackers can cheat, can be onside, and it’s a little easier for them to be onside with our defensive line,” Eustáquio said. 

“It can’t be one rule for our defenders, and it can’t be another rule for our attackers. So, everybody just has to think the same way, and I think we’ve dealt with that quite positively.” 

Although Wenger’s offside rule benefits attacking teams, the league has not seen a significant surge in goals scored. Aside from a few one-sided results, teams have rarely scored three or more goals in a match through the first seven matches of the season. 

DEFENSIVE TACTICS

Wenger’s daylight offside rule poses challenges to the coaching staff, as managers must find a balance that prevents their teams from conceding goals. 

Eustáquio admitted that the best strategy to defend is by being an intense, high-pressing team. In doing so, the defensive team can limit the amount of space available for the attackers.

“The reality is that the way we find the best way to counter that, the best way to be an exciting team is to stop the ball from travelling,” Eustáquio said.

“You do that by being a high-tempo, high-pressing team, pretty much full field, and especially when the opposing team is in their end.”

“It brings other strategies to the game. It brings other intensities to the game, but I think it’s just passing on a message to the team on how we’re going to deal with this and making sure that everybody’s on the same page.”

The CPL also adopted Football Video Support (FVS) along with Wenger’s daylight offside rule. The rule, which was first used in the U-20 FIFA World Cup, allows managers to request a video review. 

While it is still early, Eustáquio is happy that the correct calls will be made by the officials.

“The more you watch a slow-motion video, the more doubts you can create, so it can be tricky, but these tools are made for the game to have more fluidity and at the same time, for it to have correct decisions. I think it’s extremely positive," he concluded.