The 1985–86 A Group was the 38th season of the A Group, the highest tier of the Bulgarian football league system. The competition was contested by sixteen clubs that played each other twice in a double round‑robin format, with each club completing 30 matches. Points were awarded according to the standard system of the era (two points for a win, one point for a draw).
Season summary
| Position | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CSKA Sofia* | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Levski Sofia* | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … |
*The champion of the season was CSKA Sofia, which secured qualification for the 1986–87 European Cup. Levski Sofia finished as runners‑up and qualified for the 1986–87 UEFA Cup.
Key outcomes
- Champion: CSKA Sofia captured the league title, adding to their record tally of Bulgarian championships.
- European competition qualification: The champions entered the European Cup, while the second‑placed side qualified for the UEFA Cup. The cup winner (if distinct from the league champion) would normally qualify for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
- Relegation: The three lowest‑placed clubs were relegated to the B Group, the second tier of Bulgarian football, for the 1986–87 season.
- Top scorer: Specific data on the league’s leading goal scorer for the 1985–86 season is not readily available in the consulted sources.
Context
The A Group, established in 1948, has historically been the principal competition in Bulgarian football. The 1985–86 campaign took place during a period when Bulgarian clubs were prominent participants in European competitions, and domestic football was dominated by the two capital clubs, CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia.
Notes on sources
Information regarding the exact league table, individual match results, and statistical leaders (such as the top scorer) is limited in publicly accessible archives. Consequently, the presented overview focuses on confirmed structural aspects of the competition and the recognized champion. Further details may be obtained from national sports archives, contemporary newspaper reports, or specialized football statistical databases.
