1959 in association football

• October 25 – Sparta Rotterdam makes a winning European debut by defeating Sweden's IFK Göteborg in the second round of the European Cup. All three goals for the Dutch side are scored by Joop Daniëls.

•  Argentina: San Lorenzo
•  Brazil: Bahia
•  Chile: Universidad de Chile
•  France: OGC Nice
•  Israel: Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.
•  Iceland: KR
•  Italy: A.C. Milan
•  Mexico: Chivas Guadalajara
•  Netherlands: Sparta Rotterdam
•  Paraguay: Olimpia Asunción
•  Scotland: Rangers
•  Soviet Union: FC Dynamo Moscow
•  Spain: Barcelona
•  Turkey: Fenerbahçe
•  West Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt

• 1959 British Home Championship (October 4, 1958 – April 11, 1959)

Shared by  England and  Northern Ireland

• African Cup of Nations in Egypt (May 22 – 29 1959)
  1.  Egypt
  2.  Sudan
  3.  Ethiopia
• Pan American Games in Chicago, United States (August 21 – September 5, 1959)
  1.  Argentina
  2.  Brazil
  3.  United States

• January 23 — Eustorgio Sánchez, Venezuelan football goalkeeper
• February 7
  • Sammy Lee (footballer), English international footballer and manager
  • Vlastimil Opálek, Slovak footballer^[1]
• February 17 — Phil Dudley, English former footballer^[2]
• February 27 — Angelo Paolanti, Italian former footballer^[3]
• March 4 — Romeo Zondervan, Dutch international footballer
• March 20 — Roland Sikinger, American professional soccer player^[4]
• March 28 — Paolo Agabitini, Italian retired footballer^[5]
• April 2 — Badou Ezzaki, Moroccan football player and manager
• May 20 — Juan Carlos Letelier, Chilean international footballer
• May 26 — Róger Flores, Costa Rican international footballer
• July 25 — Fyodor Cherenkov; Soviet and Russian international footballer and manager (died 2014)
• July 31 — Wilmar Cabrera, Uruguayan international footballer
• August 18 — Leszek Walankiewicz, retired Polish footballer^[6]
• September 4 — Fernando Alvez, Uruguayan international footballer
• October 23 — Uriah Rennie, Jamaican-born British referee (died 2025)
• November 8 — Selçuk Yula, Turkish international
• November 11 — Mauricio Peña, Mexican footballer (died 2010)
• November 14 — José Figueroa, Honduran international footballer
• November 17 — Thomas Allofs, German international footballer
• November 22 — Marek Ostrowski, Polish international footballer (died 2017)
• November 28 — Pedro Acosta, Venezuelan international footballer
• December 11 — Thandwa Moreki, Botswana footballer
• December 19 — Edward Metgod, Dutch football goalkeeper and manager
• Full date unknown
  • Vasilije Kalezić, Montenegrin retired footballer^[7]