[4] Philips India was the main sponsor for the tournament and a total prize money of ₹1.5 crore was announced; ₹35 lakh to the winner.
East Bengal were the favorites to win the competition by virtue of their victories in the Federation Cup and the Calcutta League earlier that season.
[4] However, in a closely fought second stage mostly between JCT Mills and Churchill Brothers, the former sealed the title on the final day with a win over Dempo, courtesy a hat trick by Bhaichung Bhutia.
The first match of the inaugural season of the National Football League kicked off at around 5:45 p.m. (IST), an hour after the scheduled time,[4] on 17 December 1996 between East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta.
East Bengal defeated Mohammedan Sporting 2–1 with Raman Vijayan scoring a brace for his team; the first goal coming in the 10th minute.