The 1996 1. divisjon, Norway's second-tier football league, began play on 28 April 1996 and ended on 29 September 1996. The league was contested by 24 teams, divided in two groups and the winner of each group won promotion to Tippeligaen, while the runners-up played a promotion-playoff to win promotion. This was the last season that this league was divided into two groups, so bottom six teams was relegated to 2. divisjon, while the sixth-placed team place a play-off against the winners of the group-winners in the 2. divisjon.
| Season | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Promoted | Lyn Haugesund Sogndal |
| Matches played | 264 |
| Goals scored | 907 (3.44 per match) |
← 1995 1997 → | |
Lyn and Haugesund won promotion to Tippeligaen as group-winners, while Sogndal was promoted after beating Odd in the promotion play-off. Jevnaker, Tromsdalen, Ullern, Elverum, Stålkameratene, Mjøndalen, Fana, Strindheim, Nardo, Vidar, Åsane and Fyllingen was relegated to the Second Division, while Harstad and Byåsen avoided relegation through after winning the playoff.
League tables
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyn (C, P) | 22 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 53 | 17 | +36 | 49 | Promotion to Tippeligaen |
| 2 | Odd Grenland | 22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 49 | 23 | +26 | 49 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 3 | HamKam | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 45 | 26 | +19 | 41 | |
| 4 | Drøbak/Frogn | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 47 | 29 | +18 | 41 | |
| 5 | Eik-Tønsberg | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 48 | 30 | +18 | 34 | |
| 6 | Harstad (O) | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 29 | 47 | −18 | 30 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 7 | Jevnaker (R) | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 40 | 46 | −6 | 29 | Relegation to Second Division |
| 8 | Tromsdalen (R) | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 28 | |
| 9 | Ullern (R) | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 42 | −13 | 22 | |
| 10 | Elverum (R) | 22 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 30 | 53 | −23 | 20 | |
| 11 | Stålkameratene (R) | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 28 | 49 | −21 | 17 | |
| 12 | Mjøndalen (R) | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 24 | 57 | −33 | 14 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haugesund (C, P) | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 44 | 21 | +23 | 47 | Promotion to Tippeligaen |
| 2 | Sogndal (O, P) | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 49 | 24 | +25 | 42 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Bryne | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 35 | |
| 4 | Aalesund | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 33 | |
| 5 | Hødd | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 37 | 38 | −1 | 32 | |
| 6 | Byåsen (O) | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 37 | −3 | 32 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 7 | Fana (R) | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 33 | 31 | +2 | 31 | Relegation to Second Division |
| 8 | Strindheim (R) | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 31 | |
| 9 | Nardo (R) | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 32 | 36 | −4 | 28 | |
| 10 | Vidar (R) | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 23 | |
| 11 | Åsane (R) | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 33 | 50 | −17 | 20 | |
| 12 | Fyllingen (R) | 22 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 28 | 60 | −32 | 14 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Top goalscorers
- 21 goals:
- Vegard Berg Johansen, Tromsdalen
- 20 goals:
- Atle Maurud, Ham Kam
- 15 goals:
- Jo Tessem, Lyn
- Kristian Klausen, Aalesund
- 15 goals:
- Ole Halvor Kolstad, Odd
- 14 goals:
- Tommy Nilsen, Lyn
- Geir Televik, Hødd
- 11 goals:
- Caleb Francis, Bryne
- Kjell Sture Jensen, Haugesund
- Tom Helge Jacobsen, Eik
- Rune Lange, Tromsdalen