# 1996–97 Nemzeti Bajnokság I

The 1996–97 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, also known as NB I, was the 95th season of top-tier football in Hungary. The season started on 10 August 1996 and ended on 28 May 1997.

## Overview

It was contested by 18 teams, and MTK Hungária FC won their twentieth championship. MTK won all of their first 15 games, and suffered a single loss throughout the season, against BVSC-Zugló. The team won the championship on matchday 32, after defeating Ecker-Stadler FC 5-3 in an 8-goal classic. MTK eventually finished 9 points ahead of runners-up Újpest. The point tally achieved by champions MTK (85) is the highest ever achieved by any hungarian champion. MTK also won the 1997 Hungarian Cup, defeating BVSC 8-0 on aggregate.
MTK's point tally of 85 is the highest ever achieved in a single season in the history of the Hungarian league. They also won the most amount of games in a single season, leaving the pitch as victors 26 times, breaking Vasas' record of 25 set in 1977.

## League standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | MTK Hungária (C) | 34 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 87 | 25 | +62 | 85 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Újpest | 34 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 75 | 35 | +40 | 76 | Qualification for UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 3 | Ferencváros | 34 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 69 | 37 | +32 | 74 | Qualification for UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 4 | Vasas | 34 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 50 | 33 | +17 | 64 | Qualification for Intertoto Cup group stage |
| 5 | Debrecen | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 55 | 38 | +17 | 52 | |
| 6 | BVSC | 34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 43 | 36 | +7 | 49 | Qualification for Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 7 | Kispest Honvéd | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 45 | |
| 8 | Videoton | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 45 | 44 | +1 | 42 | |
| 9 | Győr | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 42 | |
| 10 | Haladás | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 39 | 42 | −3 | 40 | |
| 11 | Vác | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 40 | |
| 12 | Siófok | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 40 | |
| 13 | Zalaegerszeg | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 40 | |
| 14 | Békéscsaba | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 37 | 62 | −25 | 36 | |
| 15 | III. Kerület (R) | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 45 | 55 | −10 | 35 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 16 | Stadler (O) | 34 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 50 | −23 | 28 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 17 | Pécs (R) | 34 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 31 | 68 | −37 | 26 | Relegation to Nemzeti Bajnokság II |
| 18 | Csepel (R) | 34 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 43 | 70 | −27 | 25 | Relegation to Nemzeti Bajnokság II |

## Results

| Home \ Away | BÉK | BVS | CSE | DEB | FTC | GYŐ | HAL | KER | HON | MTK | PÉC | SIÓ | STA | VAS | VÁC | VID | UTE | ZTE |
| Békéscsaba | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
| BVSC | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| Csepel | 9–1 | 1–1 | | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–2 |
| Debrecen | 4–0 | 1–4 | 3–0 | | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Ferencváros | 4–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3–1 | | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 5–0 |
| Győr | 1–2 | 2–1 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Haladás | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 6–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| III. Kerület | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–3 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 0–0 | 2–3 | | 1–2 | 2–7 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Kispest Honvéd | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| MTK Hungária | 3–1 | 0–1 | 5–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | | 6–0 | 0–0 | 5–3 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Pécs | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Siófok | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Stadler | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 |
| Vasas | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 |
| Vác | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Videoton | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 5–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 6–2 | | 1–3 | 1–0 |
| Újpest | 4–1 | 0–0 | 6–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | | 5–0 |
| Zalaegerszeg | 4–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–5 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | |

## Relegation play-offs

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| III. Kerület (I) | 1–2 | Diósgyőr (II) | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Dunaferr (II) | 3–4 | Stadler (I) | 2–2 | 1–2 |

## Statistical leaders
### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Béla Illés | MTK Hungária | 23 |
| 2 | Tamás Sándor | Debreceni VSC-Epona | 20 |
| 3 | Zoltán Kovács | Újpesti TE | 18 |
| 4 | Nicolae Ilea | Debreceni VSC-Epona | 16 |
| 5 | Ihor Nichenko | Ferencvárosi TC | 15 |
| 6 | Tibor Fodor | Újpest FC | 14 |
| 6 | Ferenc Horváth | Ferencvárosi TC | 14 |
| 6 | Krisztián Kenesei | MTK Hungária | 14 |
| 9 | Károly Szanyó | Újpesti TE | 12 |
| 10 | Mihály Tóth | Kispest Honvéd FC | 11 |