The 1986 VFL season was the 90th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 29 March until 27 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs. The premiership was won by the Hawthorn Football Club for the sixth time, after it defeated Carlton by 42 points in the 1986 VFL Grand Final.