The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.

Timeline

FA Cup

Liverpool beat Everton 3–1 in the final – with Rush scoring twice – to complete the third league championship and FA Cup double of the 20th century.

League Cup

After being promoted to the First Division the season before, Oxford United won the League Cup, beating the Queens Park Rangers 3–0 in the final.

Football League

First Division

Liverpool narrowly reclaimed the league title from Everton. They completed their first and only league and cup double by defeating Everton in the FA Cup final. As a result of the previous year's Heysel Stadium disaster, both Liverpool and Everton missed out on the European Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup respectively, while West Ham United, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday all missed out on the UEFA Cup, as did Oxford United. West Bromwich Albion fell back into Division Two after ten seasons, following a campaign in which they only won four games. Birmingham City performed almost as poorly and made an immediate return to Division Two. Coventry City had spent most of the season in the relegation zone until a late revival after George Curtis and John Sillett took over as co-managers with three games remaining.

Second Division

Norwich City won the Second Division title and were promoted back to the First Division after one season. Charlton Athletic, despite having suffered a financial crisis over the previous years and leaving their home ground The Valley to ground share with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, returned to the First Division for the first time since 1957. Wimbledon, who had been in the Fourth Division only three years before and were in only their second season in the Second Division, claimed the third and final promotion spot. Fulham were relegated in last place after mounting financial pressures had forced them to sell off most of their squad during the summer. Middlesbrough suffered their only second relegation to the Third Division, as their own financial situation worsened to the point where they were locked out of their Ayresome Park ground and nearly expelled from the Football League before the following season.

Third Division

Reading won the Third Division title after beginning the season with 13 successive victories, meaning they would be playing in the Second Division for the first time since 1931. Plymouth Argyle took the runner-up spot, and Derby County was the third promoted side. The bottom two positions were occupied by Swansea City and the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Cardiff City and Lincoln City filled the other relegation spots.

Fourth Division

Swindon Town won promotion by a record-breaking 18 points, and became the second team (after York City two years previously) to exceed 100 points in a season, and was also awarded the board's decision to reinstate manager Lou Macari days after his controversial dismissal at the end of the previous season. Chester City, who had finished bottom of the league just two years prior, were promoted as runners-up. Mansfield Town and Port Vale took the two remaining promotion spaces. Torquay United, Preston North End, Cambridge United, and Exeter City were made to apply for re-election. Preston, the inaugural Football League champions back in 1888–89, saw their lowest finish ever at 23rd position almost a century on from their two back-to-back titles.

Top goalscorers

First Division Second Division Third Division Fourth Division

Famous debutants