The following are the association football events of the year 1886 throughout the world.

Events

• December 11 - Dial Square FC (later Arsenal) beat Eastern Wanderers 6-0, their first match.
• December 25 - After a meeting in the Royal Oak pub, Woolwich, Dial Square rename themselves Royal Arsenal

Clubs founded in 1886

England

• Dial Square F.C. (later to become Arsenal)
• Bishop Auckland F.C. as Auckland Town FC
• Glossop North End A.F.C.
• Haverhill Rovers F.C.
• Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
• Leytonstone F.C.
• Argyle Football Club, later Plymouth Argyle F.C.
• Shrewsbury Town F.C.
• Upton Park F.C.
• Worthing F.C.

Scotland

• Clachnacuddin F.C.
• Motherwell FC

Northern Ireland

• Linfield F.C.

Switzerland

• Grasshopper Club Zürich (1 September)

Hong Kong

• Hong Kong FC

Domestic cups

Nation	Tournament	Winner	Runner-up
England	1885–86 FA Cup	Blackburn Rovers	West Bromwich Albion
Ireland	1885–86 Irish Cup	Distillery	Limavady
Scotland	1885–86 Scottish Cup	Queen's Park	Renton[1]
Wales	1885–86 Welsh Cup	Druids	Newtown

International tournaments

• 1885–86 British Home Championship (February 27 – April 10, 1886)

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Scotland (C)	3	2	1	0	12	4	+8	5
2	England (C)	3	2	1	0	10	3	+7	5
3	Wales	3	1	0	2	7	7	0	2
4	Ireland	3	0	0	3	3	18	−15	0

Births

• 1 January – Harold Halse (d. 1949), England international forward in one match (1909), scoring two goals; the first player to appear in three FA Cup finals for three different clubs.
• 16 February – Andy Ducat (d. 1942), England international half-back in six matches (1910–1920).
• 25 December – Jock Simpson (d. 1959), England international forward in eight matches (1911–1914).