The FIFA World Cup begins in Mexico, with the Opening Ceremony and first match broadcast on ABC.
Ongoing match coverage is split between ABC and SBS.
Source: TV Week, 31 May 1986
| ABN2 | ATN7 | TCN9 | TEN10 | SBS28 | |
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| 6AM | 6am Soccer: FIFA World Cup. Official Opening/Match One: Italy v Bulgaria. Live from Mexico | 6am The Partridge Family In The Year 2020 6.30 Family Theatre |
6am It Is Written 6.20 Catholic Television 6.50 TV Mass |
Music Video (cont’d) 6.30am The World Tomorrow |
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| 7AM | 7am Cartoon Connection. Includes The New Scooby Doo Mysteries, Challenge Of The Machine Men, Dungeons And Dragons, The Jetsons | 7.20 Point Of View 7.30 Turn Round Australia |
7am Please Explain 7.30 Hour Of Power |
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| 8AM | 8am Business Sunday | 8.30 The Harry And Ralph Show | |||
| 9AM | 9am Playmates 9.55 The Amazing Adventures Of Morph |
9am Sportsworld | 9am Sunday | ||
| 10AM | 10am Captain Cookaburra’s Road To Discovery 10.25 Alexander Bunyip’s Billabong 10.30 Flash Gordon 10.55 Dr Snuggles |
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| 11AM | 11am Divine Service | 11am Sports Sunday | 11am Tarzan | ||
| 12PM | 12pm Countrywide (Rpt) 12.30 Four Corners (Rpt) |
12pm Whiz Kids | 12pm Movie: Breakaway | ||
| 1PM | 1.20 State Of The Arts 1.50 Home Grown |
1pm Motor Racing: Calder Raceway. Round Seven | 1pm Movie: Harvey. 1951 (B&W) [IMDB] | 1.50 Movie: The Silver Chalice. 1955 [IMDB] | |
| 2PM | 2.05 Soccer: FIFA World Cup. Highlights 2.55 Rugby Union |
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| 3PM | 3pm The Wonderful World Of Disney | ||||
| 4PM | 4.45 Wrestling: Commonwealth Games Selection Trials | 4pm Movie: The Kid With The Broken Halo. 1982 [IMDB] | 4pm Sports Sunday | 4.30 Solid Gold | 4pm Lovely Brena And Sweet Sin (Yugoslavia) 4.30 Lepa Brena – In Her Own Way (Yugoslavia) 4.45 The Street Singers In Belgrade (Yugoslavia) |
| 5PM | 5pm The Winners | 5.30 Eyewitness News | 5pm Basketball: European Champions Clubs’ Cup Final. Highlights | ||
| 6PM | 6pm Countdown | 6pm Seven National News. Scott Lambert 6.30 Family Ties |
6pm National Nine News. Ian Ross 6.30 Our World: Cousteau — Search For Atlantis. Part Two |
6pm Rugby League: The NEC Big Game | 6pm Paths To Art 6.45 Sneak Preview |
| 7PM | 7pm ABC News. Geoff Hiscock 7.30 Storyboard |
7pm Gimme A Break 7.30 Land Of Hope |
7.30 60 Minutes | 7.30 MASH | 7pm World News. Christina Koutsoukos 7.30 Haroun Tazieff Invites Us Into His World (France) |
| 8PM | 8.20 Soldiers | 8.30 Movie: The Best Of Friends. 1982 [IMDB] | 8.30 Movie: Eye Of The Needle. 1981 [IMDB] | 8.30 Movie: The Enforcer. 1976 [IMDB] | 8.30 All The World’s A Stage |
| 9PM | 9.10 ABC News 9.15 Sunday Stereo Special |
9.30 International Playhouse (Belgium) | |||
| 10PM | 10.35 Soccer: FIFA World Cup. Italy v Bulgaria. Highlights | 10.30 Falcon Crest | 10.50 Nightline | 10.25 Entertainment This Week | 10.30 Soccer: Match Of The Day |
| 11PM | 11.25 State Of The Arts 11.55 Year Of The French |
11.30 Family Theatre | 11pm Kojak | 11.25 And Mother Makes Three 11.55 Dad’s Army |
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| 12AM | 12.25am Close | 12am Close | 12am Movie: Queen Of The Stardust Ballroom. 1973 [IMDB] | 12.25am Second City TV 12.55 Please Explain |
12am Close |
| 1AM | 1.50 Movie: Lovey– A Circle Of Children. Part Two. 1978 [IMDB] | 1.25 Ian Crouch 1.30 Close |
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| 2AM | |||||
| 3AM | 3.45 Soccer: FIFA World Cup. Spain v Brazil. Live from Mexico (Continues to 6am) |
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| 4AM | |||||
| 5AM | 5.10 The Big Valley (Continues to 6am) |
