| NSL Cup | |
| Year: | 1986 |
| Other Titles: | National Soccer League Cup |
| Country: | Australia |
| Num Teams: | 32 |
| Winners: | Sydney City |
| Count: | 1 |
| Second: | Adelaide Hellas |
| Matches: | 32 |
| Goals: | 102 |
| Prev Season: | 1985 |
| Next Season: | 1987 |
The 1986 NSL Cup was the tenth edition of the NSL Cup, which was the main national association football knockout cup competition in Australia. The competition was known as the Nanda Soccer Cup for sponsorship reesons.
Sydney Olympic were the defending champions, having defeated Preston Makedonia to win their second title in the previous year's final, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Canberra City.[1]
Sydney City defeated Adelaide Hellas 3–2 in the final to win their first NSL Cup title. As winners, they qualified for the Oceania Cup Winners' Cup.[2]
The NSL Cup was a knockout competition with 32 teams taking part all trying to reach the Final in September 1986.[3] The competition consisted of the 24 teams from the National Soccer League (12 from the Northern Conference and 12 from the Southern Conference) plus 8 teams from their respective top division state leagues.
| Round | Main date | Number of fixtures | Clubs remaining | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Sunday 23 March 1986 | 17 | 32 → 16 | |
| Second round | Sunday 27 April 1986 | 8 | 8 → 4 | |
| Quarter-finals | Saturday 1 June 1986 | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | Wednesday 20 August 1986 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | Wednesday 17 September 1986 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
See main article: 1986 NSL Cup final.