Sources: FIFA to trial daylight offside rule and football video support during 2026 CPL season

2026 is set to be a season of change for the Canadian Premier League as it welcomes both FIFA's daylight offside rule and football video support (FVS), multiple sources confirmed to HFX Football Post on Friday.

The league, which is Canada’s top flight, has long been rumoured to trial Arsenal legend Arsène Wenger’s daylight offside rule, which looks to increase scoring by keeping attackers onside as long as there’s no visible gap (or daylight) between them and the last defender.

The CPL’s trial of the rule was approved this past weekend by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

However, as confirmed by sources, the trial comes with a cherry on top: the ability to also test FVS, which is an up and coming cost-effective video replay system for referee calls. It had been previously approved last winter by IFAB for non-FIFA competitions before expanding to leagues such as Italy’s Serie C and Spain’s Liga F. Sources told HFX Football Post that FVS comes at minimal cost to the CPL; the league did not previously have VAR.

Now, FIFA is set to trial Wenger’s idea in combination with FVS to assist with refereeing calls in the CPL.

As previously reported in The Athletic, sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stressed the CPL’s excitement about the possibility of trialing the offside rule. It’s expected to bring significant interest from around the world, especially with the FIFA World Cup kicking off in Toronto on June 12.

This publication reached out to the CPL, Canada Soccer and PFA Canada for comment.

Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League