| Season | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1986 |
| Champions | Adelaide City 1st title |
| Premiers | Sydney Croatia (Northern) Brunswick Juventus (Southern) |
| Top goalscorer | Graham Arnold (15) |
← 1985 1987 → | |
The National Soccer League 1986 season was the tenth season of the National Soccer League in Australia. The season was again played with two Conferences as separate leagues, followed by a conference playoff final. The Grand Final was won by Adelaide City over Sydney Olympic.
Northern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Croatia | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 18 | +25 | 32 | Qualification for the Finals series |
| 2 | Sydney Olympic | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 33 | 22 | +11 | 27 | |
| 3 | St George-Budapest | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 33 | 29 | +4 | 27 | |
| 4 | Marconi Fairfield | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 25 | |
| 5 | Sydney City | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 24 | Qualification for the Finals series and Oceania Cup Winners' Cup [a] |
| 6 | Newcastle Rosebud United (R) | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 36 | 33 | +3 | 24 | Relegation to the 1987 NSW State League |
| 7 | APIA Leichhardt | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 23 | +2 | 24 | |
| 8 | Wollongong City (R) | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 23 | Relegation to the 1987 NSW State League |
| 9 | Blacktown City (R) | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 24 | 36 | −12 | 20 | |
| 10 | Canberra City (R) | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 27 | −6 | 16 | |
| 11 | Canterbury Marrickville (R) | 22 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 41 | −24 | 11 | |
| 12 | Inter Monaro (R) | 22 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 43 | −26 | 11 |
Southern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunswick Juventus | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 37 | 21 | +16 | 28 | Qualification for the Finals series |
| 2 | Footscray JUST | 22 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 28 | |
| 3 | Adelaide City (C) | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 27 | Qualification for the Finals series and Oceania Club Championship |
| 4 | Sunshine George Cross | 22 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 26 | 17 | +9 | 27 | Qualification for the Finals series |
| 5 | Heidelberg United | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 26 | |
| 6 | Preston Makedonia | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 25 | |
| 7 | South Melbourne | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 25 | |
| 8 | Brisbane Lions (R) | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 19 | Relegation to the 1987 Brisbane Premier League |
| 9 | West Adelaide (R) | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 26 | 34 | −8 | 18 | Relegation to the 1987 South Australian Division One |
| 10 | Melbourne Croatia | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 25 | 33 | −8 | 18 | |
| 11 | Brisbane City (R) | 22 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 46 | −28 | 13 | Relegation to the 1987 Brisbane Premier League |
| 12 | Green Gully (R) | 22 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 38 | −22 | 10 | Relegation to the 1987 Victorian State League |
Northern Conference
| Elimination and qualifying Finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary Final | Northern Final | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney Croatia | 0 | 2 | Sydney Olympic | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | St George-Budapest | 3 | 3 | St George-Budapest | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Sydney Olympic | 0 | 1 | Sydney Croatia | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | St George-Budapest | 1 | 2 | Sydney Olympic | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Sydney Olympic | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Marconi Fairfield | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Marconi Fairfield | 3 (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Sydney City | 3 (3) | ||||||||||||||||
Southern Conference
| Elimination and qualifying Finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary Final | Southern Final | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Brunswick Juventus | 0 | 2 | Footscray JUST | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Adelaide City | 2 | 3 | Adelaide City | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Footscray JUST | 2 | 1 | Brunswick Juventus | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Adelaide City | 3 | 2 | Footscray JUST | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Footscray JUST | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Sunshine George Cross | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Sunshine George Cross | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Heidelberg United | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Adelaide City | 0–1 | Sydney Olympic |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney Olympic | 1–3 | Adelaide City |
|---|---|---|