| Competition: | The Football League |
| Season: | 1938–39 |
| Winners: | Everton |
| Continentalcup1: | New Team in League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Ipswich Town |
| Prevseason: | 1937–38 |
| Nextseason: | 1939–40 |
The 1938–39 season was the 47th season of the Football League.
The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website[1] and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79,[2] with home and away statistics separated.
Match results are drawn from The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website[1] and Rothmans[2] for the First Division and from Rothmans for the Second Division and for the two Third Divisions.
Beginning with the season 1894–95, clubs finishing level on points were separated according to goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), or more properly put, goal ratio. In case one or more teams had the same goal difference, this system favoured those teams who had scored fewer goals, if the teams had a positive goal difference. The goal average system was eventually scrapped beginning with the 1976–77 season.
From the 1922–23 season, the bottom two teams of both Third Division North and Third Division South were required to apply for re-election.
| Competition: | First Division |
| Season: | 1938–39 |
| Winners: | Everton 5th English title |
| Relegated: | Birmingham Leicester City |
| League Topscorer: | Tommy Lawton (35 goals)[3] |
| Biggest Home Win: | (10 December 1938) (22 February 1939) |
| Biggest Away Win: | (9 February 1939) (10 December 1938) (26 December 1938) |
| Highest Scoring: | (10 December 1938) |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1418 |
| Prevseason: | 1937–38 |
| Nextseason: | 1939–40 |
| Competition: | Second Division |
| Season: | 1938–39 |
| Winners: | Blackburn Rovers |
| Promoted: | Blackburn Rovers Sheffield United |
| Relegated: | Norwich City Tranmere Rovers |
| League Topscorer: | Hugh Billington (28 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | (19 November 1938) |
| Biggest Away Win: | (26 December 1938) |
| Highest Scoring: | (26 December 1938) |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1441 |
| Prevseason: | 1937–38 |
| Nextseason: | 1939–40 |
| Competition: | Football League Third Division North |
| Season: | 1938–1939 |
| Winners: | Barnsley (2nd title) |
| League Topscorer: | Wally Hunt (Carlisle United), 32 |
| Continentalcup2: | Failed re-election |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | None |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1609 |
| Nextseason: | 1939–40 |
| Competition: | Football League Third Division South |
| Season: | 1938–1939 |
| Winners: | Newport County (1st title) |
| League Topscorer: | Ben Morton (Swindon Town), 28 [4] |
| Continentalcup2: | Failed re-election |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | None |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1319 |
| Nextseason: | 1939–40 |