1986 Soviet First League

• Demoted from the Soviet Top League: FC Fakel Voronezh and FC SKA Rostov/Donu.
• Promoted from the Soviet Second League: FC Rostselmash Rostov/Donu, FC Iskra Smolensk, and FC Atalantas Klaipėda.

Note: 12 draws limit was applied during the season.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	CSKA Moscow (C, P)	46	26	9	11	61	35	+26	61	Promotion to Top League
2	Guria Lanchkhuti (P)	46	28	5	13	80	64	+16	61
3	Daugava Riga	46	24	14	8	82	46	+36	60[lower-alpha 1]
4	SKA Karpaty Lviv	46	22	10	14	69	52	+17	54
5	Pamir Dushanbe	46	21	13	12	62	46	+16	54[lower-alpha 1]
6	Lokomotiv Moscow	46	21	11	14	63	48	+15	53
7	Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don	46	21	10	15	86	69	+17	52
8	Rotor Volgograd	46	22	7	17	69	56	+13	51
9	Kolos Nikopol	46	20	11	15	48	45	+3	51
10	Fakel Voronezh	46	20	8	18	56	44	+12	48
11	Dinamo Batumi	46	20	8	18	50	59	−9	48
12	Metalurh Zaporizhia	46	17	11	18	59	54	+5	45
13	Kuzbass Kemerevo	46	16	13	17	63	61	+2	44[lower-alpha 1]
14	Shinnik Yaroslavl	46	16	14	16	41	45	−4	44[lower-alpha 1]
15	SKA Rostov-on-Don	46	16	11	19	54	51	+3	43
16	Spartak Ordjonikidze	46	15	12	19	58	66	−8	42
17	Pakhtakor Tashkent	46	15	10	21	55	73	−18	40
18	Dynamo Stavropol	46	14	15	17	66	58	+8	40[lower-alpha 1]
19	Kotayk Abovyan	46	14	13	19	46	54	−8	40[lower-alpha 1]
20	Kuban Krasnodar (R)	46	14	14	18	41	48	−7	40[lower-alpha 1]	Relegation to Second League
21	SKA Khabarovsk (R)	46	12	12	22	49	61	−12	36
22	Iskra Smolensk (R)	46	11	13	22	30	60	−30	34[lower-alpha 1]
23	Atlantas Klaipėda (R)	46	9	11	26	40	75	−35	29
24	Nistru Chisinau (R)	46	6	9	31	31	101	−70	21

Match for 1st place

23 November 1986

CSKA Moscow	2–0	Guria Lanchkhuti
Kolesnikov 40' S.Fokin 70' (pen.)	Report	82' Danelia

Uzhhorod

Attendance: 7,200

Referee: Vladimir Kuznetsov (Omsk)

• Soviet First League

• 1986 First League. football.lg.ua (Luhansk Our Football)