1860s in association football

The following are events in the 1860s decade which are relevant to the development of association football.

Included are events in closely related codes, such as the Sheffield Rules.

The Football Association (the FA) was founded in 1863 and its rules eventually prevailed.

Points at issue among the various associations included offside, the throw-in, the corner kick, the crossbar and the now-obsolete touch down.

Among the clubs founded in the 1860s were Notts County, Nottingham Forest, Queen's Park FC, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City and Kilmarnock.