Tecmo World Soccer '96 is a 2D soccer game. The game has a total of 32 playable teams, each with its own starting formation as well as ratings in three attributes: speed, power, and press. The teams are divided by groups of four into eight world regions: Europe I-IV, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia and Oceania.

On offense you can perform short or long passes with the A and C buttons, respectively, while the B button performs a scoring kick. While on defense you can manually switch player control with the B button or slide tackle the opposing ball carrier with the A button. Most of the time the game plays like a traditional 2D soccer title, but when the ball carrier and a defending player face off against each other, the game changes into a feinting interface.