SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 26: Egypt players react as referee Szymon Marciniak calls an offside violation and overturns the goal by Shoja Khalilzadeh #4 of IR Iran during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between Egypt and IR Iran at Seattle Stadium on June 26, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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Travel restrictions and other challenges imposed by the U.S. government on Iran during a World Cup that overlapped with hostilities between the two nations certainly played a role.
Austria and Algeria’s unexpected path to a draw also knocked Iran out of contention for the knockout stage.
However, the primary factor behind Iran’s early exit is a peculiar quirk in the offside rule that has become outdated.
A Winner That Wasn’t
Iran initially thought they had secured a win in their Group G finale, believing a second‑place finish would advance them, after Shoja Khalilzadeh tapped a loose ball into the Egyptian net during a chaotic goal‑mouth scramble.
It took several minutes, assisted by semi‑automated offside technology, for officials to determine that Khalilzadeh was offside by less than the length of his foot.
The offside call stemmed from a technical nuance in the law’s wording, which confused both live observers and, at least during play, Khalilzadeh himself.
Here is how the text of the offside law defines an offside position:
A player is in an offside position 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 line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
In this instance, Khalilzadeh was deemed offside after goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir rushed out to punch a ball clear from the penalty area, missed, and drifted far enough off his line that he no longer counted as one of the last two defenders.
Consequently, when Khalilzadeh received the ball, he was technically behind the second‑last defender, although replays show he was using the deepest outfield player as his reference for staying onside.
Is This Really The Point?
The fundamental aim of the offside rule is to stop attackers from ‘cherry‑picking’—lingering deep in the opponent’s half to receive a long pass once their team regains possession.
However, in today’s game, where goalkeepers are distinctly separate from outfield players, expecting attackers to factor the keeper’s position into their onside calculation runs contrary to the rule’s spirit and is impractical.
Goalkeepers must wear contrasting colors, which makes them harder to track even when opponents try. They are permitted to use their hands to play the ball and, unofficially, often receive added protection from referees, especially within the penalty area.
Moreover, goalkeepers rarely advance beyond the furthest attacker, regardless of how high the attacker pushes. Even sweeper‑keepers usually stay at or just beyond the edge of their penalty area, particularly when the defensive line is pulled toward midfield while the ball remains in the opponent’s half.
When a goalkeeper ends up outside the last two defenders, it is generally due to a quick, reactive action on the ball. If an attacker is then ruled offside, the fault usually lies with the goalkeeper’s mistake.
In these situations, making the attacker responsible for tracking the keeper’s position to stay onside is unrealistic and unfair.
An Easy Fix
The most frustrating aspect is that, although this scenario is rare, it is far simpler to address than many other legal debates that continue to hinder the sport.
Debates about what constitutes a handball, when to apply advantage, and whether machines should interpret a law originally crafted for human perception involve considerably more ambiguity than revising the offside rule to clear Khalilzadeh.
The simplest remedy would be for IFAB to rewrite the law to require only a single last defender, treating the goalkeeper separately from outfield defenders. Another proposal is to eliminate offside calls once a team enters the penalty area, an approach akin to offside judgments in ice hockey.
Regardless, this much is clear:
According to the literal wording of the law, Khalilzadeh was offside. Yet, in spirit, he and his Iranian teammates were dealt an unjust blow and should not be among the sixteen teams eliminated early.
