Can a penalty kick be awarded for an offense committed outside of the penalty area?

A penalty kick is awarded for a specific type of infraction that occurs within the penalty area; thus, an offense committed outside the penalty area would not qualify for a penalty kick. In soccer, only fouls that occur within the designated 18-yard box result in a penalty kick being awarded.

The intentions behind this rule are to ensure that the penalty kick represents a serious offense that clearly impacts a player's opportunity to score, while also maintaining the integrity of play within the penalty area. If an offense occurs outside of the penalty area, the result is typically a direct free kick awarded to the opposing team, which serves to address the infraction but does not afford the same direct scoring opportunity as a penalty kick would.

This framework helps maintain the game's flow and discipline while protecting players from unfair advantages that might arise from too lenient a standard for awarding penalty kicks.