| Competition: | Nemzeti Bajnokság I |
| Season: | 1996–97 |
| Winners: | MTK Budapest |
| Relegated: | Tiszakécske Békéscsaba Stadler |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | MTK Budapest |
| Continentalcup2: | UEFA Cup |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Újpest Ferencváros |
| Continentalcup3: | Cup Winners' Cup |
| Continentalcup3 Qualifiers: | Budapesti VSC |
| Continentalcup4: | Intertoto Cup |
| Continentalcup4 Qualifiers: | Vasas |
| League Topscorer: | Béla Illés (23) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Csepel 9–1 Békéscsaba |
| Biggest Away Win: | III. Kerület 2–7 MTK |
| Highest Scoring: | III. Kerület 2–7 MTK Csepel 9–1 Békéscsaba |
| Matches: | 306 |
| Total Goals: | 842 |
| Prevseason: | 1995–96 |
| Nextseason: | 1997–98 |
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.
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.
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| 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 | |
| Ferenc Horváth | Ferencvárosi TC | 14 | ||
| Krisztián Kenesei | MTK Hungária | 14 | ||
| 9 | Károly Szanyó | Újpesti TE | 12 | |
| 10 | Mihály Tóth | Kispest Honvéd FC | 11 |